


Change of Plans

by heartonpins



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-04 04:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4125714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartonpins/pseuds/heartonpins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little re-envisioning of the FFXV Demo: Episode Duscae, with an added character. Just to see how things would turn out. I wrote this for fun but a friend said she enjoyed it, so I figured I'd post it up. It's following the storyline of the demo, if that's anything to go off, with some alterations here and there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Data Log 1

The stillness of the room was broken by the robed man's murmurs. He spoke quietly, and rather condescendingly, through thin lips curled in a grin. Not a tone to take with the King he was addressing. The row of helmet clad men behind him mirrored those dressed in black suits opposite the room, like the beginning set of chess table. King Regis, knowing the man was not here for idle chatter, had already called forth a sword to his command. They encircled him, sharp points directed towards the other man.

A second after he had finished speaking, a sudden sound of loud footfalls sounded just outside the room. The double doors were thrown open with force and armored men stormed inside, weapons drawn. They greatly outnumbered King Regis' men. Idola withdrew a pistol from his robe, as did those flanking either side of him, not threatened by the King's defenses. With a grin on his face, he knew he had won. Without a word, each of the King's guard raised one hand. In a flash of light, swords of all shapes and designs appeared from thin air in a shattering of crystal particles.

What followed was the chaos of battle. Lights, shouts, gunfire, the sounds of metal clashing. Everything shook. Chairs were overturned, the decor along the walls caught in the cross fire. All hell had broken loose within the meeting room. The image shook violently as the force of an attack connected. The view became hazy, unfocused, partially obscured by the polished black and white tile floor. The silhouette of dark shoes approached and stopped only inches away. The person knelt down. Then all went black.

When she had awoke, she was outside of the citadel. Somehow she had escaped the chaos that erupted within. She would not think her action selfish if she could repay the action by at least saving the other, his son. If he was lucky, he might have survived the initial invasion. Through her connections, she was able to locate not only he but three of his companions.

The city was overrun by the enemy. Troops and gunmen were around every corner. And yet, she was able to pick and weave a route to safety. To one of the gates of the city wall that had yet shown sign of guard. How wrong she was. An ambush had lay in wait, knowing that people would try to escape. As their luck would have it, the Prince himself was to be the one using this exit.

There were so many troops, and only four souls to go against them. She had arrived by car, driven by one of the King's chauffeurs, in time to watch the onslaught. They wouldn't survive against so many.

She had acted rashly. Foolishly, perhaps, but at the time it was justified. It was here the memory became hazy and broken. The memory was ruined, cutting to black and back to pictures like a crude slideshow. The sounds of fighting, the clash of metal, the shouts of man and machine. Armored shoes stomping on the pavement. The loud crackle and rush of electricity, so close, so loud, like lightning. And then static, ringing, multiple failures. Blackness.

The voices were muffled. But she heard them. The attack hadn't connected.

"Leanna!"

"Gladio, get her out of there!"

The sounds of a car starting, tires screeching to gain momentum...

The memory started again, back at the beginning. The robed man, Idola, was speaking to King Regis. This was all that played for the past several hours, like an unending dream.

An abrupt chime of music broke the image. Lavender hued eyes opened. She sat up, slow at first, as such an attack on anyone was bound to slow down motor control - at least first thing in the morning. She cast a steady glance at her surroundings. The castle's meeting room and men disappeared, replaced by four green vinyl walls of a tent. She immediately registered the sound was not coming from her, as her tent was empty, but from the one beside her's. An alarm set for exactly eight o'clock.

Within the other tent slept the other four members of their unlikely party. A bespectacled man, Ignis, had set the ringing cellular phone closer to the middle of the tent for all sleeping person's to hear. Begrudgingly, they roused one by one. They were tired, that much was certain. They had gone to bed in the early morning hours of the night after their whole ordeal with the car. Sleeping on the hard, tarp covered ground of a tent hardly made for a comfortable sleep. At least, for the three of them.

Gladio, the larger man of the group, was the first to speak after scratching an aching spot behind his head. "If only someone hadn't wrecked the car... unbelievable."

Prompto, the more out-going of the group, tried to act innocent. "Oh! I would hate to be that guy! - Oh come on, don't be that way! You know I didn't mean to do it."

Ignis spoke in his defense, albiet with a sharp tongue. "Of course not. Sabotage is far beyond you."

The ringtone continued to chime in their silence. The fourth person was refusing to wake up. The phone was set inches away from their royal companion, who had rolled over and away from the annoying noise. It had no affect. The chime reached its automatic timer and shut off.

"It's futile," Ignis admitted.

Gladio wasn't going to have any of the Prince's stubbornness and leaned over to pat his back. "Rise and shine, princess." The ground beneath them suddenly shook, rumbling surrounding them.

"Tremors," Prompto said. "now you did it."

Gladio didn't seem bothered by this as he replied, "Just call me Titan." A response which Prompto did not fully understand.

Groggily, the Prince finally awoke from his slumber and sat up with a grumble. His head was lowered.

Prompto leaned over from his seat behind Gladio. "Mornin', buddy."

"Eyes open." Gladio said, perfectly aware their Prince may have been sitting up but hadn't woken up.

"And he's up." Ignis announced.

"Not... technically..up." Noctis muttered, then yawned and rolled onto his side again to go back to sleep. Gladio looked on in mild, but not surprised, disappointment before grabbing his arm and hauling him back up into a sitting position.

"Not 'technically' having our automobile repaired and headed to Cauthess, then?" Ignis asked.

Gladio pat Noct's face, which he waved a hand at to shoo away the assault. "No turning back now, Your Highness. Gotta pay His Enormousness a visit." He left the dozing Prince to unzip the tent flap and exited.

"Yeah... wonder what it's like outside." Prompto mimicked Gladio and gave Noct a pat on his face as well before leaving the tent. Noct was even less appreciative of it the second time but was too exhausted to do more than shoot a half-asleep glare. Still, he remained unmoving from his position. Once outside, the blond exclaimed, "Wow! Couldn't ask for better weather!"

"Ah, a good day for walking." Ignis got to his feet, gave the Prince a polite pat on the shoulder and followed the others. "Aren't we lucky?"

It looked like his attempt at getting more shut eye was in vain. Everyone had gone outside into the blinding sunlight. Noct gave into the draw, attempted to prize open his tired eyes and stepped out. The sunlight was far too bright for what seemed to be only morning, but it illuminated the Duscae region as far as they could see. The grassy, forest dotted wilderness lay between them and Cauthess, the large structure of astral shard that lay frozen in impact with the ground. It was so close yet so far.

The party, namely Ignis and Gladio, began breaking down the camp. The second tent's sole inhabitant stepped out quietly, careful not to hit her head on the roof of the tent's opening, then stood straight to adjust her dress uniform.

"Mornin', Lee!" Greeted the blond, stepping over to greet their new company.

The woman looked over at him, smiled, and nodded her head to return the greeting. She stood a few inches shorter than him, but easily made friendly eye contact. "Good morning."

"Sleep okay?"

A breeze picked at the tan fringe of her hair and she tucked it behind her left ear. "Yes, I did."

"Apologies for the poor accommodations," Ignis said from the cook station he was putting away. "It was the best we could do on such short notice."

She shook her head. "It was fine. I'm in no position to complain."

"Personally, the ground could be softer." Prompto rubbed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we could invest in some mattresses?"

"Certainly!" Obliged Ignis. "If you're paying for them."

Prompto wore a thin smile. "Ah... actually, y'know, the ground's pretty nice."

The camp had been dismantled and set back to its seemingly bi-dimensional location, leaving only the fire pit atop the stone mesa. It made for easy traveling, thank the Gods. But until the Regalia was fixed, they were footing this part of their adventure. As much as they wanted to grumble and groan about it, they had little choice. They would get their car back good as new, but there was only one problem.

"We're well short of the amount due, I'm afraid." Ignis said as the group walked along a flat stretch of wilderness below the campsite.

"We need to think bigger. Like 'behemoth' big." Gladio said raising a fist.

Prompto ran with the suggestion and pointed his hands in the air. "Hunting down its horns could get us the money! If it doesn't get us killed..."

Finally their sleepy Prince spoke, "I wouldn't worry. We're as good as dead without the car anyway."

The party slowed down. Their hopes of getting the car fixed soon was dissipating. Either they picked off small game to sell, or they went against a giant, well, Behemoth, for a measly horn- which it certainly wouldn't want to give up easily. If they lingered to long, the Imperial Army was bound to find their trail, they might as well have had target signs on their backs.

Leanna followed closely behind, never stepping ahead of those in front of her. A tablet was in her arms, completing her uniformed attire for an all together look of an assistant - very much away from her working location. She did not speak, only listened, typing away at the tablet with one hand.

Gladio gave a gruff sigh. "Hmm, might already be a lost cause."

Prompto tried to keep the mood up. "Hey! If Cindy says she can fix it, that's good enough for me!"

Ignis went on, "Since she's gone through all the trouble of servicing it nearby, we need only concern ourselves with one thing and one thing alone."

Noctis raised a pointed hand in response to Ignis' obvious answer. "The money."

"Sounds simple enough" Gladio said as the group stopped walking. "We hock whatever we hunt 'til we come up with the cash. Then fetch the car."

Leanna had been looking down at her tablet, the tips of her fingers tapping on the screen keys. Her silence must have been noticed as Prompto stepped beside her and asked, "What's up?"

She finished the final command prompts and turned the screen over to show them what she had been working on. The four of them stepped closer to get a better look.

"I was able to access a simple map of our location. Using a secured GPS signal, I'm able to pin point where we are at any given time. Currently, we are here." She pointed over to the red dot on the screen. "I also added markers for other registered camp sites, the gas station, the trading post, and other notable land marks in the area.

"Least we can't get lost." said Gladio.

Leanna flipped the tablet back around to access another window. "I'm also able to keep track of tasks we need to do and other information if we run across anything of interest. I could also make a list of our inventory. If we find items to sell, I can estimate how much it will cost."

"You can do all that?" asked Noct.

She lowered her screen with a rather confident, but courteous smile. "Part of my job is to be of help in any way I can, sir. Although, I'm not sure what I should be prepared for in this case."

"Alotta walking," grunted Gladio. "Thanks to this guy."

"I said I didn't mean to! You heard Iggy, 'sabotage is far beyond me', right?"

"Right," Gladio arched a brow but still wasn't convinced. Somehow this was all Prompto's fault.

"Sounds like a plan." Ignis approved and the others agreed. "What's first on the agenda, Miss Leanna?"

With a few keystrokes, she replied, "Raise the twenty four thousand gil needed for repairs. If we're doing as Mr. Amiticia- Gladio suggested, we'll need information on the behemoth's whereabouts. There were reports of one sighted in the area, however nothing specific has been given."

"Go figure," said Gladio.

The only way to start gathering information was to start searching. The group began their walk again. They had the entirety of Duscae to search for the proverbial needle of a beast. The needed a lead. Not far into their quest, Prompto spotted something off in the short distance and picked up the pace ahead of the group.

"Hey! Check this out!"

"What?" the Prince replied irritably, it seemed he hadn't completely woken up yet, or forgiven them for having woken him up. The rest picked up the pace before they lost sight of Prompto. Up ahead was a notice board. A little strange and out of the way, considering their location. On it was a single paper depicting a ferocious looking beast with one horn. Much like a dog, only angrier, much angrier. The words below read:

'Dread behemoth Deadeye sighted in nearby woods.

Enter at your own risk

25,000 gil reward for kill or capture.'

* * *

_So, just as the summary says, this little fanfic is going to be a retelling of the Demo. I'm just gonna trust anyone who reads this has already seen or played the demo, so you'll be seeing a lot of familiar scenes and conversations. I tried my best to have things flow naturally, as well as include the banter randomly heard throughout the game. I'm feeling somewhat proud of what I've been able to write, considering all I have available are youtube playthroughs. If you enjoyed it, I would really appreciate any feedback or kudos. Thank you for reading~!_

_4/9/2016_

_Whoa! Hey. Hi! Thanks for deciding to read my god awful fanfic you deserve like... a cookie, or something. Okay, so people who /have/ read this before might be wondering what the heck I'm doing. Well, I finally bought the demo earlier this month and after playing it, decided to reread my fanfic again for old times sake. Lord almighty did I realize what garbage I wrote? How come no one told me I had freaking typos everywhere? And in some cases entire middle parts of sentences were missing? Yeesh! For clarification, I wrote this whole fanfic last year on my phone using Swype and decided I was too ashamed to proof read it at the time and just posted it. Very regretful decision._

_So I went through the whole thing, added some scenes, changed some other scenes, and fixed up some descriptions now that I'm playing this game myself. I even have a bonus chapter in the works to add once this story finishes, so if you like this story, look forward to that! It's gonna have more Leanna scenes in it that I thought up later and couldn't fit into the current story. I really hope you guys like it. It really helps the self esteem thing when people leave nice comments quq._


	2. Chapter 2

If they were going to go against a behemoth, they had to be sure they were ready for the attack. Fighting in the city against soldiers was different than fighting a wild animal. And fighting a wild animal was in no way similar to fighting any behemoth. Behemoths were not easy to kill. They were smarter than most creatures, and one wrong step would spell disaster.

Noctis and Gladio decided to pair up for some sparring, both for practice and to relief some unsettled stress. They had never been rusty at it, given their upbringing, but they had never had to go against a behemoth in the past. Their skills had been put to the test escaping the city, and out in the wilderness, they would surely be tested again.

Ignis, Prompto, and Leanna waited off to one side to watch the spectacle. Prompto was into the action, cheering the two on, while Ignis and Leanna were content with observing. Noct used his gift to conjure swords from thin air, while Gladio stuck to his trusted greatsword. Both were able to parry and attack with equal measure.

After Noct displayed his unique ability to warp around the battlefield, a question brought Leanna out of her thoughts.

"Ever been this far out of the city?" Prompto was looking over at her from where he sat below the boulder.

"No." She replied shortly, paused, then added, "I haven't traveled much."

"You're handling it pretty good. With that map and keeping track of things, and all."

"It is my job." She smiled at the compliment. "Whether I'm inside or... I guess outside. The same principles apply. Being organized leads to less stress."

"Wise words," Ignis chimed in, his arms folded as he leaned against the boulder. "Not that 'organization' would do this lot much good."

"It's a good thing you're here then!" Prompto beamed. "Otherwise we would have been dead before leaving the city gates, right?" He looked to Ignis for confirmation. He shrugged a shoulder but looked like he agreed as well.

Leanna only offered a smile and returned to her tablet screen. She wasn't very talkative, they knew that well before leaving the city on their unexpected adventure. Even out in the untouched part of the world, she still maintained an air of professionalism. Well, at least she got along with Ignis just fine.

After the fight ended in a draw, they decided they were at least fit to fight one another. Any further practicing would most likely be done on predators that might harm them. The group squared themselves away and set in the direction of the search area Leanna outlined. It was general, but a behemoth wasn't exactly small. It couldn't be difficult to find. Between their starting point and their destination lay a large open valley and lake. to their left occupied by two large Cantoblepas. It was easy to see what all was around due to the flat terrain.

"Huh, what are we looking at?" asked Noct as he slowed to a stop at the sight of a pack of skeletal looking hounds up ahead. They looked in every way the definition of 'sharp' from their boney tails to their long, thin snouts.

Ignis gave a look over to Leanna, who already held up a screen with the animal's information. "This creature is known as a 'sabertusk' It skewers prey with its tusks, extracting game from the safety and comfort of burrows."

"That's.. a bit heartless." said Prompto.

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be befriending any." said Gladio.

Noct had to move closer, wanting a better look. Nothing like this existed in Insomnia. Unfortunately, he had gotten a little too close. Within seconds, one had come charging towards him. Another two circled the group, growling and barking. Everyone was immediately on their toes. One charged for Noct, catching him offguard in the middle of a sword summon and slamming him onto his back. It snarled, teeth inches from his face as he tried to wrestle the heavy creature off.

With a loud yelp, the creature was thrust away in the swing of a greatsword. Noct bounced back onto his feet, but had little time to recover as the other three Sabers were still on the offense. He deflected an oncoming attack and got one strike in for good measure. The others had their own to handle, except Leanna, who remained entirely out of the conflict. Prompto, light on his feet, could travel around the battle feild in order to get the perfect aim for his pistol. Gladio stood his ground and would rather have the enemy charge into him, using their own momentum against his greatsword swing for better damage. Ignis remained calm and calculating, using daggers as his weapon to ensure a critical hit nearly every time. And Noct, well, Noct just went at them with whatever sword he could conjure until the beast fell.

The Sabers lunged, swiped, snapped, and bit at the team. The mean hardly suffered any injury, which couldn't be said for the four slain Sabers on the ground.

Once he caught his breath, Prompto asked, "Did we get anything?"

Noct answered holding an item in his hand. "Got a couple claws, if that's worth anything."

Leanna had rejoined the group. "It sells for five gil."

"More gil than we had two minutes go, huh?" Prompto tried to sound hopeful.

The group walked again, passing by an old abandoned shed with another behemoth poster pasted on the front, but didn't get far as their path was blocked by large creatures, round in stature and looked very hard to kill.

"Garulas." Leanna announced. "Herbivor pack animals."

"Anybody up for a light work out?" asked Prompto.

"If they hit us first.." replied Noct. These animals looked rather docile. As they approached the herd, they became startled and quickly meandered off in another direction. Their calls were strange, too high a pitch for what they might have thought such a large beast would make.

A marshland divided part of the valley, some of it was avoidable for now. Nasty monsters seemed to lurk that way. The sun was sinking lower to the horizon by the time they reached the intended search area. By stroke of luck, they found their first rather obvious clue. Large, clawed foot prints were pressed into the sludgy mud of the marsh. The water and silt hadn't absorbed them, giving the hint they were fresh.

"This way, if the map's anything to go off." said Ignis, looking in the direction the paws were headed.

Noct had been glancing up towards the sky. "Is it dangerous after dark around here?"

"Most likely." replied Ignis. "We'd best ponder our lodgings as we go."

"Could we see that map again?" Gladio looked to Leanna, who quickly pulled out the screen and displayed the map. Gladio regarded it for a second, then looked off into a direction at his left. "Nearest camp site's to the south. We could head there before it gets dark."

It had been wise to seek shelter before night fell. It was near impossible to see anything, even with the use of their flashnights. Neither did they want to trapse around a foreign wilderness with nothing but a small circle of light. Sounds from all manner of animal echoed from both the valley and he woods. At one point, Prompto could have swornd he'd seen something moving just below the raised camp site.

With what he had on hand, Ignis was able to concot a dinner of Potluck Stew, but if they wanted a balanced diet, they would need more ingredients. Leanna stood at the cooking table dividing the mushroom stalks into individual pieces as Ignis sliced carrots and herbs. The two spoke idly, their conversation inflection flowing naturally. The two had that same air of 'business' especially when having spoken to one another back in the crown city.

The other three relaxed in their chairs around the fire. They gave casual glances in their direction, but kept to themselves as they waited for dinner to be served.

"Still a bit... stiff, ain't she?" asked Gladio, absently tilting the bottle of fizzy-drink he'd been occupying himself with.

"I'm sure she doesn't mean to be." answered Prompto. "Maybe it's just you. You are kinda scary." he joked, but it earned him a stern fist pushed against the side of his head. "Ow, ow!"

Noct had been watching the distant glowing lights of the cars driving down the highway. Even further out, he could make out the cluster of lights that was a city. "If that's stiff, I can't imagine what described her back at the castle."

"Hm, a statue." Gladio offered.

"You would have seen her a lot, right?" asked Prompto.

"Mostly with him. She was his assistant after all, but sometimes we'd cross paths, yeah. If he had something he needed to tell me but couldn't, she was the one to find me. I didn't know what to make of her then, or now. I guess I'm surprised."

"Didn't expect an ordinary assistant to take a 'bullet' for you, you mean?" Gladio interjected. "She's got some guts. You could be pal-ing it up with Etro right now."

The topic was shushed when Ignis announced their meal was ready. Each had their own serving and took a seat around the fire. All but Leanna, who seemed steadfast in excluding herself from the group wherever possible. Never talking unless requested, and even then it was short, helpful information. She was trying to have as little presense as possible. Trying to adapt her indoor training for an outdoor environment. But this wasn't the castle, and even though Noctis was a Prince, he certainly didn't act like one. The need for professionalism just wasn't there. One look at Prompto told that much, Ignis was the exception.

"You know, your feet are gonna wear off if you don't give 'em a rest." Gladio jokingly warned.

"Yeah! Come sit down! There's a seat for you and everything!" said Prompto with a baiting wave of his hand. "I promise Gladio won't bite." This time he was out of arms reach of the man. It took a little convincing to get Leanna to join them. She might not have been talkative, but the group felt a little more comfortable.

The party set off again the following morning, once again leaving nothing at the camp site but a firepit. Today would be their official big start on finding any clues leading to Deadeye. They returned to the marsh footprints and found they had been disturbed by some nocturnal creatures. But by memory, they knew which direction to go. It was difficult to know what to look for, but if it was from a behemoth, it would undoubtably be noticible.

Prompto gave a happy sigh and rested his hands behind his head. "Ah, wide open fields make me wanna run around."

"How about a footrace?" suggested Gladio.

"Yeah" Noct cut in, "how about acting your age?"

Gladio wasn't put off by the retort. "Someone's afraid he'll lose."

There was no foot race to be had, and their search stretched on. The morning was going by fairly slowly, even with picking on a few Saber packs here and there.

As they rested in the shade of one of the skirting trees, Leanna had been distracted by a particularly floral shrub, when there was a beep and the screen of her tablet lit up. She did straight and raised her head, announcing calmly."Enemy airship signal detected."

"What?" The others stopped to look at her for clarification, but she wasn't facing them.

"Overhead." As if on cue, a large metalic ship dropped from the sky and hovered above them. The wind kicked up, picking at their clothes and hair as it came dangerously close to the ground. The group raised their hands instinctively to shield themselves from what the wind might carry.

"The Imperial Army?!" Prompto shouted over the wind as the ship's hatch lowered.

"What the hell are they doing here?" asked Gladio. The group stood up to watch as four men appeared from the hatch and dropped down.

"Looking for a fight, no doubt." Ignis replied.

"Well they found one," Noct's voice was low, with an edge of anger.

These soldiers were tall and thin, with sickly green skin and yellow eyes. Their faces were void of any expression, and the way they moved suggested no human could possibly be within the armor. They were Magitek armor, empty machines programmed to kill. They wasted no time in targeting the boys and beginning their attack with inhuman speed and agility.

The way they attacked was freakish, twisting their bodies and limbs around to make full circle attacks with swords and axes. When struck, they didn't show pain or emotion, even as arms were ripped apart, their face masks struck away. They simply went back to hitting. All except one soldier, who's purpose was only to hold the Imperial flag, it seemed.

The fifth member of their party had all together frozen, staring on at the onslaught of flying blades, bolts, and metal plates. She hadn't noticed a particularly metalic sound approaching from behind

"Lee! Look out!" Prompto tried shouting, but his warning was cut off as an axe barely missed his extended arm. Within a second, a blue flash of crystal bolted across the battle field and lodged itself firmly to the right of Leanna's head. Her vision was blurred by small floating particiles of crystal and slowly she turned to her right where the blade was only an inch from her cheek. Slowly something behind her groaned, metal and grating, before slowly falling backwards, taking the sword with it.

Lying on the ground was the flag weilding robot, now a malfunctioning peice of metal with the sword lodged in where its heart would be. The flag clattered to his side as a shower of sparks erupted from his chest as the sword disappeared. A hand quickly took Leanna's arm an pulled her away should the machine self destruct.

Leanna stared down at the creature, then at the man who had grabbed her arm.

"You okay?" asked Noct.

She was unable to form a reply, it seemed, as she only returned to looking back at the metalic soldier. Finally she nodded.

"They are kinda freaky." Gladio mused. "But we took care of em. Nothing left now but pieces of hardware."

Leanna hardly looked comforted, but they returned to their search further inside the wood, hoping the coverage of trees would block them from any further Imperial scouts. It didn't take long before they found their next clue. Trees and branches had been broken and splintered and strewn across the forest floor. They took to scanning the nearby vicinity for anything else, mainly a sign of which direction the behemoth was headed, but not such sign was found.

After an hour of searching sabertusk infested woods, the group decided they were warrented a break. Noct and Gladio practiced their skills with some sparring. Prompto might have practiced some of his shooting techniques but unfortunately he had limited ammo. He took to balancing a stone atop a larger rock and trying to knock it off by flinging pebbles.

Ignis was cleaning his glasses with a microfiber cloth when Noct paused is sparring to ask. "So what's your plan if your glasses break?"

Ignis knew he was trying to jest, which made it all the more fun to reply, "I've got another pair, just in case."

Prompto laughed at the snub. "The man always has a plan."

The others were in good spiris, but Leanna remained quiet. She stood away from the group, staring at the leafy ground at her feet. She might have looked... ill. The vivid image of Magitek troops was in her mind. Even though she hadn't fought them, she was still startled. Emotionless machines, no sense of self. Only programming. Programming to fight and kill.

The rock finally fell to the ground, and Prompto let out a whoop of victory. It had only taken nine tosses this time. Leanna picked up the stone and placed it centered on the rock again.

"If we're going to make any progress, we'll have to get moving. Two clues isn't enough to go on." said Ignis, thinking their fooling around had gone on long enough to qualify as a break. The others agreed.

So far, the clues they found weren't giving them any idea as to where the behemoth was, only that he had been in the area. They began to feel... uneasy, knowing they might have been hunting their own death wish. The quickest way to find clues was to break into pairs and cover a larger distance. So long as they remained within eyesight, or earshot, dangerous wildlife wouldn't be a problem. Ignis and Noct were off ahead of the three of them, not having any luck either it seemed.

"Let's try over here." Prompto suggested, pointing to a thicket of trees to the north nearest a rocky hill area.

The two walked on, but Leanna lingered behind. To her left, the trees broke away to a small clearing. If a behemoth were to go walking around the woods, he was less likely to pick areas were trees were close together. Following Ignis's rule, she wouldn't wander too far off from either group. She stepped over old fallen logs and rocks hidden in the foliage until she noticed something on the ground. Broken branches and red stains. Remnants of.. whatever it was, long since eaten or dragged away. There was a distinct loud snap of a twig around her. The forest was otherwise eerily quiet. No birds, no small animals.

"Huh, wait-" Prompto had stopped his searching when he noticed one person was missing. "Where's Lee?"

Through the trees above them, a flock of birds took to the air all at once, their caws in alarn echoing into the trees. The four looked up in mild surprise, as it wasn't normal for birds to take off in that way. Something startled them. Their cries were almost ominous.

 


	3. Chapter 3

A chime rang from their pockets all at once, a single blip of a notification. On the screen was a blue colored radar with their location being the center of the screen. A red dot was just to their south. Leanna had used this application to help guide them out of the city, but none of them had remembered downloading it to their phones. It wasn't a pressing matter, as they realized the message she was sending them. They regrouped and picked up a pace faster than a stroll to the location indicated. She was a quiet one, perhaps frustratingly so in times like this. She always had the odd ability to appear or disappear without much warning. It was chalked up to being another 'assistant' trait. But in a forest as hostile as this, and with she thus far showing little combat ability, they wanted to find her quickly.

"There!" Prompto pointed to their left, where through the thicket of trees and shrubs he'd spotted her person. She hadn't moved from the indicated location, as doing so would ruin the point of having sent the homing beacon.

They allowed upon approaching. Prompto took a breath of relief. "I thought I was gonna have a heart attack."

"Don't go running off like that." scolded Noct, and Leanna lowered her head in apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think I wandered too far. But I did find something. " She pointed ahead of her to the clearing with the clue. The others stepped forward to investigate, but it was Ignis who quickly turned his head away and adjusted his glasses.

"Just lost my appetite."

"Bet I know who did this…" Gladio, as steel gutted as they came, also couldn't look for more than a few seconds.

Prompto had shied away from the scene of the crime. " I hope it doesn't smell fear…"

Ignis looked back to the group. "It's best we keep moving. This might attract other unwanted scavengers."

" Those birds were probably a good clue on where to go next. " Noct gestured in the direction the birds had flown. He gestured for them to follow.

There was both an eagerness and a shared sense of dread that they were slowly closing in on Deadeye's location. They would have their car back in no time, if all went according to plan. Their path was only hindered by Sabers twice, one pack a little nastier than the other and resulted in needing to spend two potions for a quick recovery. They got themselves a few claws in the trade that could be sold for what little gil they went for. Waste not want not.

The walk took the better part of an hour until the trees became sparse and gave way to the open plains of Duscae again. The birds had taken off from a rocky range to the east, but the rocks formed an impassible wall. They only needed a break to squeeze through.

"We couldn't just climb over them?" asked Prompto as they trekked on through a small alley between two piles of rock.

"Be my guest," replied Gladio, "we'll meet you on the other side."

Against the dusty ground of packed earth, Noct was able to make out a worn, knobbly fence towards the left of the trail. Further they walked until again on their left was an indent in the rocks, framed on either side by trees snapped in half at the trunk. The closer they walked, the more a gap in the stone wall began to show. They stopped when they reached the opening of a wide, very worn, trail leading into the rocky wilderness beyond, the dirt splattered with blood. It looked like a place a behemoth would rightly call home.

"Hey now, lookie here." Gladio had approached a rusty yellow sign reading: 'No entry! Behemoth in area!'

"A literal sign from the heavens if I ever saw one.' said Prompto. "If only we'd found this one first."

Their quiet victory was interrupted by a very loud, very close, very low gutteral growl and roar. Beyond the rock wall, the tops of trees shuddered, their trunks snapping and audibly splintering as they were toppled over by an unseen force.

Prompto took a step back as if expecting Deadeye to come bounding over the rock wall towards them. "Uh, is anyone else feeling a little out of their league?"

"Just don't let your guard down." warned Gladio.

Prompto shot the man an exasperated glare. "Like that's _exactly_ what I was gonna do."

What lay ahead of them was a nature made trail, shored on either side by large boulders and rocks with scattering trees and shrubs, giving them and the behemoth only one way to go. When the trail opened up again it was for a small clearing of gray l grassy shrubs and trees. The atmosphere suddenly became eerie. A fog had rolled in seemingly out of nowhere. The scenery had been clear until they entered here. The clearing stopped at a dead end of concrete slabs and metal panels covered in vines, suggesting man-made buildings were in the area. There was an opening towards the lower left, just large enough for someone to crawl though.

Noctis had been about to do the honors of entering first when Gladio quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back. A hissing growl echoed down the tunnel. The behemoth could not have been far. Gladio, as the party's decided sentinel, went in first to ensure it was indeed a safe route to take. He turned back to Noct and gave the clear to follow. One by one they bent down and walked doubled over into the tunnel. The thought was unanimous; stay quiet.

The further they crawled, the louder and closer the snarls of the beast became. The ruins of the tunnel roof gave way to scenery of forest canopy, and one large, very vicious looking Deadeye.

The group stopped by Gladio's command, or out of sheer shock, perhaps both. They were going to try to kill this thing.

Gladio pointed to his closed right eye and mouthed "Deadeye- the name says it all."

The creature began to dig into something out of view. Perhaps his recent kill. While he was distracted, they began to creep forward again. The tunnel was only feet away from the monster. Every time he took a step, they felt the ground faintly tremble.

They moved forward several more steps until suddenly they were forced to stop again. Gladio had dove forward to cross one of the large openings parallel the beast just as it moved to investigate the noise they were making. Noct immediately stopped before the gap. Prompto had stopped his pace, but his momentum was still carrying him forward

He would have collided into Noct's back and sent both of them forward had Leanna not grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled. Just as she did, the large maw of the behemoth jutted into the gap between Noct and Gladio. Deadeye drew in a breath and let out a rumbling roar, his breath hot and foggy in the cool air. His fangs, primarily his saber teeth, were long enough that one bite would cut clean through a man. He pulled his head back, snarled and sniffed, deciding whatever was in the tunnel wasn't worth bothering with. His heavy footsteps faded away as he meandered off.

Gladio, able to see Deadeye from his angle, gestured for them to follow once the behemoth was a safe distance away.

"Here we go," he whispered as he excited the tunnel. Any sign of Deadeye was gone, blocked by the cement structure and more rock facings. "The behemoth is missing an eye along with its horn." He crossed his arms. Prompto climbed out of the tunnel after Noct, followed by Leanna and Ignis.

"Good," said Ignis. "We'll pursue it from its blindspot."

Noctis had gone off ahead, far too eager to allow himself to lose sight of the behemoth. The others had to jog to catch up. The area became thick with trees, rock, and fog, making it difficult to see anything over several feet ahead. But the behemoth was easy to hear. They stepped as a quick pace through the small clearing, hindered once by a stray Sabertusk. The trail remained closed off on either side by rock and trees, the fog didn't help the situation. As they approached a fallen tree, most likely felled by Deadeye, they saw the beast just beyond as it leaped out of sight. A behemoth was nothing to sneeze at, and the group stopped until they were sure they wouldn't be detected before following again.

They hopped over a leaning fence and entered a larger clearing, this one so full of fog that anything beyond five feet was opaque or wiped out entirely. Yet, in the distance, there was the dark silhouette of Deadeye. They would tail him home, as fighting in a fog covered forest was a poor choice for a battle field. There were several heart stopping moments when Deadeye would stop and look around, then continue walking. At times, only his tail could be seen, and other times his figure loomed far too close for comfort. After a few minutes of careful tiptoeing, the beast hopped over a rock wall and disappeared on the other side. They needed to follow him, but they couldn't find a leverage to jump over.

Noctis heard a voice to his right. "What about this, sir?" asked Leanna, obscured by the fog. They followed her voice and found what she was looking at. A crevice in the rock, just wide enough they could pass through provided they turned sideways. It was a snug fit for the men, Leanna being smaller in frame than all of them had little difficulty side stepping.

Keeping with their unspoken rule of silence, no one said a word. They needed to tread carefully. They stumbled upon the ruins of an old factory of some sort. Large cement structures towered over them, covered in moss and weeds of nature reclaiming it. Noct was the last to walk around the corner of an old roofless building where he found Ignis waiting for him up ahead.

"This way." said Ignis once the group found a hole in one of the cement walls to enter through. The ruins were nothing but cement facings, support collumns and wire framework, eroded and crumbled to the point of collapse. They dropped down a ledge and took cover behind a short wall just as Deadeye was walking off in the distance.

"Each of us will need to do his part if we're to succeed. Luring the behemoth here falls to you, Highness. I'm loath to put you in harms way, but you're our only chance."

"Fun." Noct whispered.

Ignis stood up once the coast was clear. "Let me walk you through the plan." The group followed him at a slow jog to a large red fuel tank located within the ruins of what was a large building. "Prompto, you will fire on the gas tank to set off a blast. Aim from up there. Leanna, go with him."

"Yessir!" he agreed and the two departed at a run.

Ignis lead the way a few paces down to a pile of concrete blocks. "Gladio will lie in wait and attack Deadeye from his blind spot."

"Gotcha."

Around the corner of the outer wall they could hear Deadeye's snoring. "Highness, focus." said Ignis as Noct took note of the path he'd need to run. Above the wall stood Prompto and Leanna, the former waving from their lofty perch. "You will wake Deadeye and warp back to us with the beast in tow. Amid the chaos of the blast by the fuel tank, aim to land the finishing blow. Now, by all means."

Noct wanted to retort and ask what Ignis would be doing but daylight was wasting. The Prince took off at a careful jog, each foot ready to pivot to double back the moment Deadeye stirred. He was within yards of the slumbering beast, it snored and growled from his sunning spot on the flat rock. He was out. If they could, Noct would have much rather snuck up on a sleeping behemoth and with a single hit lop off his horn, but that wasn't part of Iggy's plan. If Iggy had a plan sketched out, there was no changing it.

Noct picked up a hand sized rock near his boot, tested the weight, then with a prayer to Etro he chucked it over like a baseball. It soared through the air and thudded against the back of the behemoth's head. It snarled, sniffed and raised its head. Much like Noct, it was unappreciative of having been woken up and let out a gruff roar. It sensed Noct's pretense and was alert, clambering to all four paws. Noct wasted little time in turning around and bolting back towards the others. One warp landed him ahead of the beast, pinning him to the steel tower, then again to another, then a third time up near Prompto. Deadeye was close enough but he'd lost site of his small prey, not expecting him to be up above.

"I got it!" shouted Gladio, taking advantage of Deadeye's namesake and brought his greatsword in a full swing down on the animal's head. Dazed, Deadeye staggered sideways, away from Gladio and towards the fuel tank.

"Prompto!"

"I'm going for it!" He took aim and fired. The gas tank exploded with a deafening boom and flames over took the behemoth. The creature screeched and roared, now dazed from both sides of the attack. Noct took the cue to do one last warp and landed hard on the beast's back. He buried his sword halfway into the monster's shoulder. Deadeye reared his head, hissed, then dropped heavily to the ground.

The team rejoined beside the fallen beast in cheers and whoops of triumph.

"We got some real chemistry here!"

"That's what I call teamwork."

"Impeccable."

Leanna had been clapping in quiet approval but was surprised at the offer of an open palm from Prompto. She understood what he intended and, albeit very gently, gave a single pat against his gloved hand.

Noct let out a shaky laugh. That was easier than he thought, and upon thinking that, he realized it had truly been far too easy. The beast moved and lumbered upward. "Not good-" The force of the bucking beast dislodged Noct and sent him hurting backwards through the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. Everyone ran away from the waking best to his head.

"Highness! This is not time for a nap!" shouted Ignis as he helped him back up to his feet. Deadeye roared, angrier than he had been before and came barreling down on them with his claws at the ready.

The five of them faced the giant, angry behemoth. It seemed determined to get Noct, his primary frustration, while the others whittled away where their blows landed. One swipe of its large paws was enough to send them into the red. Three potions were gone in the first two minutes of battle alone. If they attacked his blind spot, they might pull through. To Deadeye, hey must have been no more annoying than fleas. Their weapons glanced off his thick hide. If it wasn't the claws or teeth to look out for, it was the mighty whip of his tail. Deadeye was too strong.

"We're in over our heads!"

"Time to cut and run!" yelled Gladio. They needed to flee before one of them got seriously hurt. They ran towards the opposite end of the factory area but the behemoth was determined to not let them escape alive. He wiped and stomped behind him, knocking them off their feet several times. Leanna had to look behind her, watching as the massive creature zeroed in on them.

They were nearly there, where a hole in the wall would mean their escape, but there was a cry behind them. Prompto hadn't been doing well for the last half of their short battle, and one stop from the behemoth sent him tumbling forward. Deadeye was right on his heels and would have been on top of the scrambling Prompto. The others didn't have enough time to reach him, but someone ran forward regardless of the oncoming danger. Her pace was quick, much quicker than she had been running to keep up with their adventure so far. She was beside Prompto seconds later, helping him to his feet.

Deadeye sprang forward with a roar at the pair. They instinctively raised their arms in front of their heads as if it would lessen the blow. There was a tremendous crack of thunder and a streak of yellow light. It struck Deadeye in the face and crackled all over him, exiting from his horn and tail. The shock sent him staggering sideways but his momentum was still carrying him forward.

"What the- " Prompto began but Leanna took his arm and pulled him into a run. He faltered a bit to find his footing but they were putting distance between they and the tumbling, dazed beast. One by one they slid into the tunnel within the rock facing. It was too high for Deadeye to leap over, and the hole too small for even one of his paws to fully fit. They were safe - from him at least. On the other side, they were exhausted and out of breath. Prompto plopped onto the ground while the others were doubled over.

"That - was- too close!" He said between gasps. "I don't think - gargantuan predators really have - a concept of fairness."

"Perhaps.. there is a better way to go about all of this." said Ignis.

Leanna had moved away from the group clutching her hands to her chest with a very clear, confused expression. Her hands shook, her fingers jittered. The looked down at her palms, then closed her hands.

"I didn't know you were a magic caster." said Prompto once he'd recovered.

"What was that back there?" asked Noct once he'd regained his breath. Leanna didn't answer. She behaved as though she hadn't heard them. Her hands were held tightly within one another, her casting glance giving her a look of processing but not fully understanding something. A gloved hand touched her shoulder and brought her out of her thoughts.

"Don't-!" She started and took a step away from the Prince, clutching her hands together as if fearing another crackle of electricity might erupt from the surprise. She tried to gain some composure but it did little to change her startled appearance. "I'm sorry. I don't... I don't understand... what happeend. I can't... I don't know any magic. I can't cast any. I- "

"It's best we discuss this in the safety of a haven. After the ordeal we just had, fighting other monsters is not in our best interest." said Ignis. He looked to Leanna, with as sincere a tone as the gentlemen could take. "Miss Leanna , could you find the nearest camp?"

Leanna nodded, pulling the tablet from her bag, bu her hands weren't moving right. With luck, she held it up. The map view opened and zeroed in on the came a stone's throw away.

"Let's go. It'll be dark by the time we get there." said Gladio, allowing Noct to lead the way.

The night was dreadfully dark, with the stars overhead and the darkness of the land all around them. The noises they could hear from the woods in this part of the region were different. They seemed to echo. The trill like calls of Garulas, the sounds of night fowl, the strange skittering noises of things lurking in the tall grass. The fire crackled and popped as the group sat around in chairs. Ignis had Leanna helping to prepare the meal again. She gripped a small knife to chop the carrots thinly and uniform. Ignis was preparing the meat they'd scavenged from some small game during their days excursion.

There was a clatter of metal as the knife hit the cutting board. He looked up to the young woman, holding one hand in the other as once again her fingers seem to have lost motor control in a fit of jitters. When she calmed down, she reached for the knife again. Instead, her hand was met by Ignis', carefully taking the back in his and turning her hand over to look at the palm. He regarded the five long dark streaks sprouting from beneath the cuff of her sleeve. It looked like soot, burned into her skin all the way to the tips of her fingers.

Leanna spoke softly, pulling her hand away. "Please, don't worry. It doesn't hurt." She gripped the knife again and returned to cutting the vegetables.

That night's dinner was Dry Aged Tender Roast stew, which the boys ate without so much as a complaint. After the night they had, they'd take anything for a meal to recover their strength. Potions only went so far.

"So," started Prompto when he was halfway through his serving. "that plan didn't exactly go well, did it?"

"We underestimated Deadeye, that's for sure." Gladio replied in a low tone.

"What'll we do now?" Noct hardly picked at his plate and set it side. The meat he ate without pause, the only thing left were the carrots, brussel sprouts, and tomato.

Ignis sat in his chair, having been thinking since the moment they escaped the behemoth. "We'll need more information. The locals might have an idea of what could be done to bring down the behemoth."

"And if they knew that, why hasn't anyone done it yet?" retorted Gladio.

"We looked at the same thing right?" Prompto asked incredulously. "Big angry purple dog, one eyed, one horned, a giant that probably eats people? And uses their bones for toothpicks?"

Gladio gave him a glare that suggested he shut his trap before he got another bruise added to his collection.

"Perhaps..." Leanna interjected carefully. "I should have done more research on how one would kill them. " Her voice was low, sounding almost tired, which was a first to hear. "A mistake on my part. I'm sorry."

Ignis looked up from his mug of Ebony. "What happened today was in no way your fault. We were all well out of our usual comfort zone, as far as fighting goes. It is a lesson to learn from."

"Yeah," added Prompto. "Don't go picking fights with giant, angry, demon dogs." A boiled brussel sprout smacked him dead center on his forehead. The assault came from Gladio.

"You got a better idea, blondie?"

"It was _your_ idea!"

"Knock it off," grumbled Noct, his fist against his cheek, propping the drowsy Prince up in his chair. "You guys are too loud."

Prompto quietly retaliated by chucking a piece of carrot at Gladio, and was reprimanded by Ignis for wasting valuable food. During their hushed attempt to one up the other, Leanna quietly excused herself from her seat. Unnoticed by the others, she retired to her tent, sitting against the side. She tried to empty the contents of her bag but again, her fingers stopped cooperating. Her right hand was the worst, her her fingers clenching shut and opening repeatedly as if her body no longer knew what to do with her hand.

She dropped her shoulders, looking up and closing her eyes as if praying to Etro that the worst had not happened. That she hadn't just rendered herself useless, a liability. To her there was little worse than being unable to do anything of use. She might as well be rubbish should it come to that.

"You didn't eat anything." Came the voice of Ignis at the tent's opening. He held two items in his hands, a plate of tonight's meal and a wrap of some sort.

Leanna looked up in surprise, closing her hands and hiding them in her lap. "I'm- I'm just not hungry is all. My stomach feels... like it's full of butterflies." She tried to explain, then tilted her head. "Or maybe... caterpillars."

"May I?"

Leanna only glanced at the man, slowly processing what he intended and gave a nod. To turn him away would only raise more concern. Ignis sat down beside her. "You know, that would make it three full days since you've presumably last eaten. I call that extraordinary, considering you show no ill effects."

"That's because... I-" Leanna looked back down to he singed hands. Ignis withdrew a gauze bandage, took her left hand, and carefully began to wrap it.

"I know. You're tasked with eating after everyone else." He spoke calmly, in a low tone. "You may not be feeling any pain, or, in fact, any effects from such an injury, but the others may start to become suspicious." He cut and fixed the gauze, then moved onto her other hand. "Keep the plate with you and return it to me once they've gone to bed. If you're going to keep this up, you'll have to be thorough about it."

Leanna looked at Ignis with an expression of bewilderment. She had no reproach, no excuse. Ignis gave her a small reassuring smile, patted her bandaged hand, and left to join the others.

"Is she gonna be okay?" asked Prompto once Ignis sat down again.

"She's overtired. She'll be fine."

Back in the tent, Leanna looked at her now bandaged hands. What little good this did, but the sentiment was felt. Her performance would only decline if she left it unchecked. She would not allow herself to become useless, but to reveal anything was a strict breach of contract. She couldn't. Not only for the rules she adhered to, but of how they might think of her. It would be better to leave their company as soon as possible.

Beside her, the tablet screen lit up of its own accord, scrolled down a window of phone numbers and selected one of a bearded gentlemen. It rang three times, then someone picked up.

* * *

_So the way I'm trying to incorporate her character is that you discover the things she's capable of doing one at a time. So first, you find out she works as your 'menu' screen and all that lies within it. Then she also works as a tracker, of sorts. She can be sent to find something, or just finds something naturally, and alerts the others using a little app that's like a radar. She has a few other things too but I haven't worked them all out yet.._

_Anyways! Let me know if you guys liked it! I'm checking the story stat counter thing like every day to see how many people have read it. I'm so excited to be sharing this and people are liking it. It makes me really happy._


	4. Chapter 4

Their once hopeful plans to slay the behemoth had been shattered in the span of the couple minutes it took to fight the damn beast. Left to nurse their wounds overnight while Deadeye was probably contently sleeping only added some insult to injury, literally. They needed to find information, some tidbit of weakness that they could exploit if they were to see their car again in this lifetime. But if the behemoth had been a long standing problem in the area, then surely something might have been done about it. Then again, not much could be expected as the only two places of business were a pit stop gas station and a local trading post. Neither one of which would boast having behemoth killing capabilities.

The boys were a little worse for wear come morning. Understandably, they were sore and, though they wouldn't openly admit it, disheartened. It felt as though they took two steps forward and a giant tumble backward. They solemnly packed up the camp gear as soon as the sun crested the mountains.

To further shove the already jammed wrench in their plan was a request by their female companion, spoken tentatively and without much conviction.

"Wait, you're not saying you're leaving us are you?" asked a shocked Prompto once Leanna finished speaking.

She gave a nod, her expression remaining resolved. "I apologize for the abrupt decision but," she raised her hands to show her injuries. Prompto gave a small audible reaction while Gladio and Noct only grimaced. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much use in this condition."

"Geeze, did that happen yesterday?" asked Prompto.

"You should have said something." Noct, though usually inexpressive, held a small look of disbelief.

"Maybe if you drink a potion you'll be better in no time!" said Prompto.

Leanna smiled sincerely and dropped her hands to her sides. "I appreciate the concern, but I contacted someone last night who can help in my situation. He should be arriving at the Coernix Garage shortly."

Gladio had been breaking down the tents and setting them down next to the folded chairs. " We'll walk you there then."

"No, I couldn't ask that of you. You're already busy getting the money back for the car. I can't slow you down. I've already cause enough trouble for you. "

Noct had been stretching his sore arms and folded them over his torso. "And when exactly were you any trouble? Far as I recall, you've been the most helpful. No offense, Iggy. "

"None taken. I agree with the sentiment. Actually, it might be a good time to check on how the car is progressing. We can take a break in our efforts to rest up and restock on supplies."

"I could use some civilization." sighed Prompto.

"Back to the garage, then?" asked Noct. The group agreed. The camping gear was whisked away in a disintegration of blue shards and they were on their way.

The trek back to the station from their current location took nearly two hours. Sabers proved to be a persistent lot but were easily dispatched. Now with less drive to find Deadeye, they could afford to at least enjoy the scenery as they went. Only once did they have to duck under the shelter of trees as an Imperial ship slowly hovered over. They returned to their walk once it was a safe distance away.

"You can always tell when those guys are getting close, huh?" asked Prompto.

Leanna held her tablet to her chest, her fingers shaking slightly. "Yes. Each kingdom uses a different sort of frequency for their communication devices. If one comes with a certain range I have a program that can locate it. Although, it seems I can only detect then when it's a little too late to do anything." There was a hint of guilt in her voice, one the group could pick up on and credit the goings on back in the crown city.

"So long as they don't get the jump on us, I'll take a two second warning over a surprise attack." said Noct as he continued to lead the group.

The first sign of the gas station that appeared just above the hill leading to the highway was a tall, rusted windmill. Once they were up, they were met with the road that cut through the Duscae region. How funny it was that many cars passed along this route and yet they, their entourage of unlikely people, were stranded. If only it was so simple to hitch a ride, but they couldn't risk the Prince being recognized and authorities alerted.

"Weird how gas stations look the same no matter where you find 'em." Noct mused as they jumped over the metal guard railing and walked along the side of the road.

"That one looks more like time forgot all about it." replied Gladio.

"It would look a tad out of place in the crown city." said Ignis.

"Gotta love that smell though, right?" Prompto chimed as he provided support for Leanna to step over the waist high rail.

The cars and trucks zoomed by, some were courteous enough to move over if they could. As they approached the station, the smell of gasoline and car oil permeated the air. The rumble of cars and sounds of conversation was a welcome change to the otherwise quiet area.

"Might as well grab a bite to eat since we're here. Something that sticks to your ribs." said Gladio.

"I wanna score some spicy food." said Prompto.

"'Nutrition', gentlemen. His Highness could do with some green in his diet."

"We'll see about that.."

The Regalia was still where they left it two days ago. Granted it was one of the more newer looking model cars in the lot. It wasn't difficult to miss. The mechanic tasked with fixing their transport was bent beneath the hood. Another car was parked on the other side of the lot, less noticeable also lacking dings, scratches, or general wear on the body. The windows were tinted black but someone was inside add the car idled quietly. As the group approached, the door opened and someone began to step out.

"He's here already." She turned to the others and gave a short bow of her head. "Please do what you need to get done." She left the group, crossing the parking lot to the man stepping out of the car. Her pace was quick, so much so she might have started to run but she met up with the stranger before that speed was reached. The man looked at her with concern, taking her by the shoulders to look her in the face before embracing her in a close hug.

The others chalked their reunion up to be something familial and went inside the station to load up on supplies or pawn of their battle trophies. Then it was time to check on the car.

The Regalia was almost done but they were still short on the cash needed to reimburse Cindy on her work. She was a kind mechanic, having come out to the middle of nowhere just to fix their vehicle. They felt inclined to get the money quicker. Arguably, she felt some regret over having to charge them so much, but business was business. She needed to fix the car and they needed to take down a massive beast terrorizing the area to get the money. Somehow, the scale of effort seemed outweighed.

Once the party was ready to leave, they crossed the lot to the other stately looking car. The man had been examining Leanna's hands, the latter looking to be explaining how such an injury happened. When their other company had been sensed, the two looked up. Leanna brought her hands down as she and the gentlemen approached the group. The man took a couple seconds to look at the men who had thus far been her wardens. He was an older man, a years senior to Gladio - the eldest of the group. He sported a close cropped beard and mustache, wearing a fine tailored black suit. He gave the appearance of a business man, granted one recently stressed over the goings on. He locked eyes with Noct longer than the others, his expression solemn.

"I must thank you for all that you've done for Leanna. I never would have guessed she would be within your company, but now it makes me all the more grateful. My name is Reeve Tuesti. I'm the one who originally employed Leanna to work for King Caelum. I thought, perhaps, that she didn't make it through the invasion of the crown city. I had been unable to get into contact with her until last night. A precautionary measure, I understand, but a rather… tense one in light of the situation. "

The others gave a short glance to one another. The name was familiar, but couldn't be immediately placed.

"She helped get us out of the city and served my old man for years. It the least we could do."

Prompto chimed in, "We couldn't just leave her behind after the whole fiasco at the gate. That wouldn't have been right... Right?"

Reeve offered a small smile, impressed. "She's a hard worker, this one. Maybe more so than intended. She's informed me of the work she's done for your mission so far. " He looked over to Leanna, who lowered her head. "Although, going against a behemoth was not something she was trained for. And I see she's run into some trouble with that regard."

"Will she be okay?" asked Prompto.

Reeve nodded. "I'll see to it that she'll be fine."

"Mr Tuesti has been in charge of my medical care since I was born. He can be trusted."

"Great! Then once you're better, well get back on the road, right?" asked Prompto.

"We still have a behemoth to catch." added Noct.

Leanna hesitated, looking to Reeve then back at the group and nodded.

Ignis turned to the others. "Why don't we take this opportunity to rest ourselves? Rather than sleep out in the wilderness as we have, we can afford a little luxury for one night after the ordeal we've had." He gestured a gloved hand to the RV units parked on the left side of the gas station.

"Some real rest is long overdue." Noct took to the idea unsurprisingly quickly.

"You've definitely earned it. If all goes well, Leanna will be healed up by morning. " Reeve gestured for Leanna to return to the car. She dipped her head and took her leave. With that, their party disbanded for the night.

The gas stations second RV had been rented to the Tuesti party. The pair sat at the booth style dining table opposite one another. Strewn across the table were tools of various sizes and designs, from wrenches to spindly looking screw drivers and pliers. Reeve was in deep concentration as he was bent over Leanna's arm, resting on the table with her palm facing upwards. He applied a thin tweezer holding a wire and set it in place. The 'skin' of her inner arm had been removed from her finger tips to her elbow, continuing under the sleeve of the white shirt she had changed into. The wire was set inside the paneling of the metal endoskeleton, replacing the one that had been fried almost to the point of despair. Once it was connected, he leaned back and looked to the small laptop with cables extending up the table to her neck.

"Alright, move your fingers for me."

She closed and opened her hand and tapped each finger tip against the table.

"Does it feel better? Nothing out of place or delayed?"

"It feels normal, sir."

Reeve nodded. He set the cover panel back onto her arm and took a thin screw driver to replace the screws. "Amazing how the stored static traveled along this route from the compressor. It could have ended very badly, you know. Much more damage than a few fried wires. " When he finished, Leanna switched her arms to allow him to begin the task of the second repair job.

"I don't know how it happened. I held up my hands to stop am attack and…. "

Not looking up from her arm, as removing old wires and replacing them took some watchful concentration, Reeve replied, "Hmm. Well I've done something different with the net work of wires, so should it happen again, " he said with an edge in his tone, "it won't do the same damage."

The two fell into a metallic tapping filled silence. Leanna raised her right arm and looked it over. Normal on the top, metal on the bottom. She moved her fingers again, a small audible sliding metallic noise emitting from them with each curl. A few moments passed before Reeve spoke again.

"Are you… going to tell them?"

Leanna glanced at him, then back to her hand. "I feel I should. But I don't know how they'll react. They have varying personalities and the predictive process is far too general to estimate."

Reeve let out a breath as he switched tools and began replacing the wires. "It is your decision, but the longer you wait, the higher a risk something greater might happen. Say you have a malfunction of some sort. They wouldn't understand they'd need to run a diagnostic to find the problem and it would cause then unnecessary trouble and worry. That, or they may find out on their own. The confrontation may be less than desired."

Leanna dropped her hand and looked at the pale floral print off the window curtain, not unlike a child being scolded for lying, as gentle as his tone was.

"I know. Any other time, I would have gladly explained. But now they think I'm the same as them. It feels like some sort of betrayal to inform them that I'm not. I don't know how I feel about it all. Unsure, hesitant, anxious, nervous, all these words and yet I am unable to find one that suits me currently. "

Reeve smiled with an airy chuckle. How much a machine could behave like a human, it was a wonder. "That's quite normal." He looked at her sincerely, placing a hand over hers. "If the evidence is true, they cared for you these last couple few days. I'm sure they would understand. A little bewildered, yes, but that would be natural. My two gil; even all the predictably programming in the world wouldn't be able to truly tell how a friend may react. You'll have to find out for yourself, and there's only one way to do that."

He had a point. But still, she didn't like any of these emotion processes and wished she could force close them.

Resting in the comfort of an RV was both a blessing and a curse. While the four of them felt refreshed and rested, they now had the grim prospect of sleeping on the hard ground of a tent for more nights to come. They needed to save every gil they could come across, lest the behemoth horn be a lost cause. The team was set to go by mid morning and gathered in the parking lot.

Their goal was to obtain some information on how over might take on such a formidable creature, not that they had much hope any locals might give some insight, but they had to try somewhere. And to hold such information to keep organized, and to keep them on the right track, they needed the help of their little assistant.

The pair were waiting in the shade beside the RV, but joined the others as they approached.

"Good morning. I hope you slept well?"asked Reeve.

They nodded. Prompto looked to Leanna hopefully.

"Doing better?"

She nodded with a small smile and held up both hands, now scorch free and moving perfectly. She was far more composed then she'd been the day before and seemed to return to her old self. "I'm doing much better now. I'm sorry if I worried you all. I'm back into working condition thanks to Mr. Tuesti."

"Are we good to go then?" asked Noct, looking to the others for some confirmation.

Leanna spoke again, only a hint of urgency in her tone. "Wait," she looked to Reeve who gave her a assured nod. "there's something I should inform you of. To not do so feels… dishonest. "

"Okay?"

"As you know, my name is Leanna Katherin. I was employed to King Caelum from Caithsith Incorporated. I- am an Artificial Intelligence, in other words.. an android. I was built within a factory. The company is known for advanced technological findings in AI systems, from inanimate to those like myself. I come from the Secretarial Assistant Department and deal with administrative affairs. King Caelum requested such an assistant and I was chosen for the task. Only he knew of my true origin.

"Knowledge of our existence is kept classified to reduce risk of it falling into the wrong hands. I'm sorry to have kept this a secret, but it would have been a breach of contract to mention it before now."

There was an almost ear numbing silence following her words. The others looked pensive, and understandably disbelieving. Leanna did not move from her stance and stared at the ground.

"So.."started Prompto. "you've been a... robot this whole time?"

Leanna opened her mouth to reply, glancing away before nodding. "An oversimplification, but yes, this entire time I've been a machine."

Ignis was the only one who didn't seem surprised. He looked rather pleased, smiling in the fashion of something he'd presumed had been proven correct.

Gladio spotted the sneaky grin and looked at him. "Wait, you knew?"

Ignis shook his head dismissively. "I only had a guess. As human as she looks and behaves, there were some hints here and there since we left Lucis, and now even some of her nuances before are making sense."

Noct turned to him as well. "Hints? Like what?"

"I don't need to eat or drink. I also don't need any sleep to recharge energy, as that's done through solar energy while I'm walking around during the day. As Ignis implies, I lack mannerisms of someone human, such as yawning, sneezing and breathing. I... had hoped we would reach Altissa without incident and I would leave your company without any of this being brought to light."

Noct had to give a sigh of a laugh. "So all these years..."

"Yes, sir."

"Explains how you could be a statue..."

"Mm?"

"Nothing."

"Getting us out of the city must have been an easier task than we realized." said Ignis.

"Not technically. I had to access data from multiple sources to find a safe way to travel. Although, such processes are usually forbidden for me to access."

Gladio grinned. "An efficient rule breaker. I like it."

"Now you know the truth. What happens next is your decision. We can part ways here."

The four were quiet looking to one another in silent conversation. Noctis spoke first. "I did say yesterday that we still have a behemoth to catch. I don't see any reason that would change."

"Yeah! I mean, you're still 'Lee', right?" asked Prompto as he stepped forward to place an arm on her shoulder. "Same one who saved my butt from becoming behemoth chow. Saved Noct from becoming a fried prince?"

Leanna was a little taken aback by the sudden invasion of personal space, not so much offended as simply caught off guard. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"You are just one surprise after another," marveled Gladio.

"I'll try to give a warning if any other surprises come up."

"So, now that that's been cleared." Ignis stepped forward, casting a glance around all of them. "Anyone else have something they'd like to confess? Never mind, don't answer that."

"I think she takes the cake." said Noct with a shake of his head.

"One moment," Reeve approached the group and addressed Ignis. "a word, before you go?"

Ignis nodded and left the group with Reeve. Prompto was suddenly trying to get a close look at Leanna's face, presumably unable to believe something so realistic was a machine. Gladio pulled him back by the collar of his shirt.

"What Leanna says is true, as I'm sure you can believe. In fact, I was the one who built her. The factory does produce androids in mass, but she's a custom model of sorts. I only ask one favor-"

"We'll see to it she doesn't come to any harm."

Reeve nodded, then handed him a small, round edged briefcase. "If she repeats her last misadventure, or anything similar, what's in here can be used for small repairs. Anything more and I'd like to be contacted. Otherwise, she is very self sustaining."

Ignis took the briefcase and gave a curt nod.

When the group was ready to restart their previous mission, Leanna had to give a parting hug to Reeve.

"Right, off we go then." announced Ignis.

* * *

_This was a tricky chapter, for multiple reasons. First, how does one react when discovering a friend is not human? Do they push them away, feel deceived? Or accept it? Next, was that all of this would have made a little more sense had this been an actual working game demo. Because there's things that were difficult to write in without bogging down the flow of the story or sounded shoe-horned into the dialogue. So it'd be a lot like their 'banter' where the more you explore or just run around in the game, the more you'd get tidbits of what's going on._

_That and you'd see how different Leanna acts before the reveal. I haven't personally played the game and any demo I find, no one really hangs around in one place for me to see if they have idle waiting animations. I imagine they do, like stepping around, maybe adjusting hair, clothes, accessories, checking out the scenery or some such thing. Leanna wouldn't do that. Which would seem a little off but not something that's directly addressed. Because she's a professionally trained assistant, it would be assumed this is the training she received. She doesn't fidget, doesn't really walk around except to get out of the other's way if they get too close. She doesn't adjust her hair, or clothes (unless after a Imperial attack with all that wind blowing). Doesn't sneeze, doesn't really do anything except stand there. So after the reveal it would be an 'ooooh' situation._

_Any banter would be a little... awkward. Like any questions asked, she replies with only the answer. She might realize the situation calls for more talking and adds something but she's mostly just a google search._

_Following that, this is where she starts to branch away from the strict training she has programmed. She'll start to get idle animations, and even unlock more banter that allows for more conversation. She eases up a bit and will openly talk about how she functions and stuff so while she doesn't have much character before, it'd be something the player could discover as they went._


	5. Chapter 5

They were set to continue their task. Fighting a behemoth with little information on the beast was a fault on all their parts. Now it was time to gather whatever intelligence they could. They took a moment to have one last word with Cindy, to assure her they would have the money but with little better estimation than 'as soon as possible'.

Leanna had momentarily departed from their company to gather items from the station's convenience store and returned as they were gathered near the road.

"After the unexpected turn our previous plan took, it's time to begin our investigation. Where would the best place to start be?" Ignis asked the group.

"How about here?" Noct offered.

"Anyone we find here would most likely be only passersby. The likelihood of any of them having information on Deadeye would be slim, at best. We need locals."

Leanna had been typing away at her tablet for several seconds before speaking up. "There are two permanent locations located within this region of Duscae. The Coernix Station and the Wiz Chocobo Trading Post. "

"Then we have our heading." said Ignis. The party began to walk, crossing the road and down the ramp leading back into the wilderness.

"Time to meet the chocobos!" said an excited Prompto, seemingly the only one openly pleased about their destination.

They walked down the sloping hill, the expanse of Duscae ahead of them. They hadn't realized it before, but now they could see Deadeye's lair from their vantage point, a distant cement box of columns against the trees and rocks.

"Where are we heading exactly?" asked Gladio.

Leanna answered, as she knew the answer. "Do you see that rock formation ahead of us, it arches away."

"Yeah?"

"To the immediate left there's two brightly colored dots against the trees. That's the roof of the trading post."

Prompto groaned. "We're going way over there?"

"Pretend you're walking to the car. " said Ignis.

"The car is that way! Not miles ahead of us."

They walked along the worn, dirt path that wove around the region. If they stuck to it, they'd be at the post in roughly three hours time, provided they ran into little trouble. The sun was warm, but the cool breeze negated the heat and made for a rather pleasant walk. The slope eventually flattened and left them in the middle of the lake to their left, and the slope and highway to their right, the same path they'd taken the night they first arrived and were headed to the campsite.

Noct was often the one leading the group but they knew where they were headed, he allowed himself to fall back within the party. He fell into a pace beside Leanna, who always seemed to be in the back of the party.

"Hey, Lee?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Back in the city when you pushed me out of the way… you took the hit instead, right?" Leanna nodded. "Did that… cause any damage? I mean…"

"None that I was aware of, sir. If there had been, chances are I wouldn't have been functioning properly this entire time. I'm guessing the static compressor absorbed whatever charged the stun gun. Which is both unusual and impressive by machine standards."

"And that's what you hurled at Deadeye? "

"Yes, sir. Entering and exiting seemed to have different effects, but I've been upgraded to handle the voltage. "

"Upgraded?"

Leanna held up her hand. A pop of white static crackled at her finger tips, making a small sound similar to a stun gun and stopped. "If handled correctly, I can use this to my advantage, given the situation we're currently in. Secretaries aren't programmed for fighting, so it's something entirely new for me. "

"The best kinda multitasker if you ask me. " said Gladio. "She can fight monsters, place phonecalls, and keep an objective list."

"Quite the repertoire. " added Ignis.

Their walk continued the same as it had days before, following the trail near the campsite and around the lake. So pleasant and rather ahead of schedule was their walk that they decided to take a break near the water. There was an old, probably abandoned fishing shack with a small dock. As they lounged, they took note of the pair of Cantoblepas that had been occupying the lake for days. Such massive creatures containing themselves to the water was something they could be grateful of.

Prompto had kicked off his boots and rolled up his pant legs to wade calf deep into the cool water. "This would be perfect to go swimming in. Y know, if there wasn't a chance of some swamp monster lurking around."

Noct had taken a seat at the edge of the dock, the soles of his boots skimming the water surface. "Maybe just a dip. If Iggy allows it. "

"How bout it? " the gunman asked the others. He received a grand total of two no's in the form of stern stares and a gentler decline from Leanna.

Prompto took to skipping flat stones across the water surface and offered the only other spirited party member a chance to give it a try. No matter the angle, or speed, the rock would plink beneath the surface of the water on the first impact. She was on her fifth stone when their Prince sleepily groaned.

"I'm running on empty…"

"You heard the man," Prompto looked to Ignis, who had been leaning in the shade of the fishing shack.

"Fix us up a meal! "

"I'm a cook not a magician." Ignis retorted. They were nowhere near a camp site, making summoning any cookware impossible.

In response, Leanna reached into her backpack and withdrew three green wrapped bars. "I thought this might happen, so I bought snack bars."

"You really are prepared for everything! " said an enthusiastic Prompto as she handed him the bars. He tossed one to the sitting Prince and one to Gladio. Ignis declined the other.

"I might have downloaded a book on camping last night…" Leanna said rather self consciously.

It wasn't long before they started their journey again, leaving the open sunny plains to enter the shade of the surrounding forest. Along the way, they came across a rather peculiar boulder not far from their path. What made it so strange was the rock facing had been gouged out in long streaks.

"That's some scratching post." marveled Gladio.

"We tried to fight a thing that could do this. " Prompto crossed his arms in a huff. "Is it any wonder how it turned out?" Only a few paces later he asked tentatively. "Are we really going back to fight it? "

"Unless you wanna hang out here another week hunting Sabertusks claws that only sell for five gil. " replied Gladio.

Prompto let out a groan and said under his breath. "I'd rather do that actually. "

It was early afternoon by the time they reached the Post, not by sight, but by both smell and sound. There were large, three toed footprints pressed into the dry mud of a trail.

"Anybody else hear that? " asked Gladio.

"It's a chocobo call!" said Prompto.

"And a happy one at that."

Ignis looked to the Prince in mild amusement. "You speak chocobo?"

"It's more of an intuition."

They walked up the hard dirt path leading to the post, the sounds of chocobo calls baiting them in the right direction. The post itself was made up of a main building, most likely the shop, am outdoor area with umbrellaed seats to eat and relax, and several open pens which housed four of the famous golden fowl.

"No mistaking the smell of chocobos." mused Noct as he stopped near the pen of the first one.

"Agreed." said Ignis with a touch of distaste.

"It's nice not to have to kill anything." sighed Prompto.

Their first task had been to find information, but the party's focus was slowly drifting over to the yellow birds. While Noct and Ignis approached the stablemaster, Prompto, Gladio, and Leanna meandered closer to the stalls.

"Wow, that's adorable." Prompto reached out a hand to touch the feathery neck of the first chocobo. It warked appreciately. Leanna picked the second one, who leaned down it's head to receive expected scratchings.

While they were completely distracted, Noct stepped to the store front. The middle aged man had been sitting down until he spotted his customer. Standing up, he regarded the dark clad boy.

"I gather you're all taking in the sights?" His gruff voice suggested he had an intuitive guess as to what a group of fresh faced boys would be doing way out here, and it wasn't chocobo riding. "Sure are a lot to take in in this parts. But you steer clear of that cave nearby, if you know what's good for you. Wouldn't want that to be the last sight you see."

Just leaving the conversation at that felt a little suspiscious now, so Noct spared a few gil to purchase some potions. Anything food related would be Ignis's job.

Prompto and Leanna were still with the chocobos, offering them bits of Gysal greens from the basket at their feet.

"Ah, sweet chocobos. You really set mymind at ease." sighed Prompto.

"Never realized you were so into chocobos." Noct's sudden voice startled the pair. Prompto droppd his hands but it was too late to feign innocence at being caught gushing over their feathered friends.

"I'm toootally into chocobos! ... Uh, don't take that the wrong way."

Noct gave the beak of the bird a friendly pat. The bird lowered it's head for him to scratch somewhere above its eye. "There's no wrong way to love a chocobo." As if it knew what they were saying, which quite frankly was easily suspectable, the chocobo gave a little trill call.

"So, what'd we get?" asked Gladio, who had been the only one capable of resisting petting the birds.

"There's a cave nearby." Noct pulled his attention away from the bird. "The guy told me right off the bat that we should steer clear of there. Might mean something."

"What could be in a cave?"

Noct shrugged. "Only lead we got so far. Unless you got something better?"

"Hmm. Cave it is."

Ignis rejoined the group and looked to their female companion. She seemed to hit it off rather well with them. The chocobo was nuzzling its head and beak against hers, which she didn't seem to find bothersome in the least. It rested its head atop hers rather comfortably.

"Leanna, would you do the honors?"

Leanna looked over, having been wholly distracted. She stepped away and gave the bird one last appreciative pat before pulling out her tablet. She flipped the screen to face them. Without pushing keys, the menu screen opened and highlighted a location on the far southwest corner of the map, slightly above the trading post.

"The cave the stablemaster mentioned is most likely this one- The Fociaugh Cavern. It's been open to visitors who enjoy cave exploration or have interest in the splinter astral shard located within. Lately it's been under scrutiny for having potentially dangerous creatures inside.. They're voting to have it closed."

Noct started walking and cracked his knuckles. "Where's the fun without any danger? It can't be worse than a behemoth, can it?"

Two of the party members were a little reluctant to leave the post. They took the longest to linger behind. The group crossed the main highway and entered the shady forest on the other side. The trail led up an unforigiving slope, and it was on this part of their quest that they came across a new kind of enemy. They looked like Sabertusks, only larger, noticeably more green with orange fangs, and much more persistent.

"Guys?" asked Prompto. "We got a little problem over here."

"Cool. Go take care of it." said Gladio.

Prompto looked at him in disbelief. "Alone? That wasn't part of the deal!"

There were six in total, which wouldn't have been a problem if they would hold still. They darted back and forth, running past them and taking a bite at their persons in the process. Up until Deadeye, Leanna had remained out of combat. She served very well as a healer with their stock of potions and had been lucky enough thus far to not attract any unwanted attention. But she couldn't avoid them forever.

One green Saber had been sneaking outside of the fight. When it spotted her, standing still, its interest was caught. It skulked over, hunching down low before springing into the air. Gladio had taken the unvoiced turn of keeping an eye on her well-being during this fight. He was too lte to realize the animal had found a target.

The beast was still airburn when Leanna saw it. She took a step back and raised an hand. An arc of white light connected from her hand to one of the beast's tusks. There was a loud crackle like a firework, and the Saber was thrown back several feet. Not enough to kill it, but certainly enough to knock all sense out of it. It whimpered an staggered, attempting to recover when a mighty slam of a greatsword brought it to the ground.

"Nice one!" said Gladio, hefting his weapon up and gesturing to the others still scattering around. "How about hittin' some of them?"

Leanna had been looking at her hand, assessing any form of damage but also in a manner of disbelief that she had actually done an offense attack. At the suggestion, she gave an uncertain nod. Noct had been about to strike one of the Sabers when Gladio told him to hold up. There was another crack of electricity and the beast was rendered shocked and confused.

"Now!"

Noct took three more swings and the beast was down with an agonized wail. And so the combo continued. Incapacitate the beast, then finish it off.

Once the quiet of the forest had returned, the group looked themselves over to heal any damages. Leanna was staring at her hands, white light sparking between her fingers. She gave them a shake to discharge any more current.

"I'm... going to have to get used to that."

"Coulda used something like that sooner," Gladio mused as he stretched a kink in his shoulder.

"Just try not to use it on any of us." said Prompto as the group started walking again. "I'm already a walking static magnet."

Leanna smiled but gave a polite, mockingly serious nod. "Yes, sir. I'll remember."

A worn road lead all the way up to the rocky boundary of the region. There were no signs, no warnings, no real evidence that people came here often. Just a trail and a mountainous wall with nowhere else to go.

"Where do you think this goes?" asked Noct.

"I dunno. Looks kinda sketchy to me." replied Gladio.

Prompto stopped walking. "Looks alotta sketchy to me. Bad idea!"

The opening of the cave looked like a slanted rectangle, the inside empty and pitch black. Outside seemed to look the same shape wise. Like giant rock blocks that had been left there for thousands of years. Prompto looked right to have hesitation, which the others didn't seem to share.

"This is the Fociaugh Cavern." Leanna announced.

Noct shrugged and took one look back at the group. They didn't have any other plan. "Let's head in."

It became dark surprisingly fast. They clicked on their pocket clip flashlights, otherwise they wouldn't be able to see anything, not even each other. The tunnel leading down was cramped, cold, and dark. A cold form of humidy hung in the air, like water was trapped inside somewhere. It made things all the more chilly.

"Try not to get lost," warned Gladio.

"You get lost," Noct retorted.

"We're drifting... into the deep end." Prompto was the most cautious out of all of them. He fidgeted, and understandable so, as creepy things tended to hand out in dark caves.

They were on their guard, crouched only enough to be ready to spring into action if needed. The ambiance sounded like a low, hollow wind, echoing with their footsteps. In his jumpiness to prove this was a bad idea and get out, Prompto's haste caused his feet to catch on an uneven rock. The sound and sudden movement of him falling caused previously hidden bats to screech and take tot he air in a great swarm. The group started ducking low to avoid having a bat collide with their head. Prompto stifled a yelp. Then everything went quiet again.

"How come I always end up in these situations?" he asked wearily.

"We must be prepared for anything." said Ignis.

The tunnel opened up to the first cavern, so dark and wide that it was only possible to see where their light beams struck. They separated but their lit silhouettes gave away where they were. They crept around slowly. Their surroundings seemed to be changing as they discovered them. A smooth slope here, a jutting rock there. It was difficult to make a mental map. Leanna had been unable to reach a satellite connection to recieve one, they were on their own here.

"Is there any way out of here?" Noct asked.

"I found a place over here," called Gladio. They followed the light of his flashlight and found a gap in the wall. "We can slip through."

Noct went in first. This was an even more snug fit compared to the one in Deadeye's lair. His hands were pressed to the rock in front of him, and he could feel the one against his back with every step. Gladio followed, then Prompto, Leanna and Ignis. Poor Gladio was the one to feel the most discomfort.

"Tight squeeze," he muttered.

"M-might just make it through." Prompto said after.

Again, Leanna didn't share this difficulty, as she was much smaller, therefore she only had to step sideways to fit, with some space between she and the rocks. Halfway through the crevice, Prompto suddenly began to breath hard.

"I think I'm hyperventalating!"

On the other side of the gap, they entered into the begining stages of a tunnel system. They heard a noise. Something small, scuffling, like tiny feet, but in the darkness ahead of their lights they couldn't see anything. They slowed down, waiting for whatever it was to move.

"Stay on your guard." Ignis cautioned. "It seems we're not alone here."

"This reminds me of a horror movie I saw one time." said Prompto.

"Please don't tell us how it ended." replied Gladio.

"If we started getting picked off one by one, I think I'd be the first to go."

"And why's that?"

"'Cause I'm the funny one."

The tunnel sloped downward, wound to the left and right then left again. The temperature began to drop. They shivered but kept walking. The hope of finding something, anything, at the end of this cave kept them going. Their path was caused by a deadend with a man-sized hole near the floor.

"We could crawl through?" suggested Gladio.

One by one, the crouched and huddled through. On the other side, they saw a streak of sunlight towards their left. It seemed so out of place here, but it was a nice comfort to know the surface was still fairly close. What lay beneath the patch of sunlight was a large pitch dark gap with a water resivoir below. Onwards, they walked for several minutes. The tunnel never seemed to go upwards, only down. The futher it went, the colder it became. Their breaths came out in puffs of fog.

They found small items here and there. Rusted bits, broken timepieces, they almost seemed like leftovers from something else. At a fork in the path, they stopped to ponder their next course of action. Noct took a path to the right, noticing sommething near the wall. He crouched down to look inside it. The others took notice and gathered around him.

"Highness?" asked Ignis with a curious look.

"There's something in there." Noct was looking inside the crevice. Only about two and a half or so high, in the shape of a wedge, with its widest point near the ground. Deep inside, there was a small item, glinting in their flashlight beams. The group looked on at the lost to them item. Prompto coulnd't reach it, neither could Noct, and Gladio nor Ignis would even try.

"Guess we leave it?" asked Prompto

Noct thought it over, then looked towards their party member who was standing outside of their gathering.

Leanna had listened to his half-hearted request and stood at the opening of the gap. "You want me to get something that is in there?" she clarified.

"Please?" Prompto hunched over to be eye to eye with her. "It might be something really really good."

Leanna regarded the gap, taking note of the shape and how one would go about getting inside. She knelt down, careful not to ruin her dress uniform and scooted inside, disappearing into the wall. They could hear scuffling, then her hand stuck out holding the thingamajig they wanted so badly. Noct took it, handed it to Ignis, then helped pull Leanna back out and onto her feet.

Their path was met with many deadends , and in one they found another unreachable item.

Leanna followed her previous instruction without request and retrieved said item. This went on for the next gap they found as well. They had entered into a maze like tunnel system, running into constant deadends and backtracks, even going in a complete circle at one time. It was difficult to tell where they'd been.

Once again, they reached another gap with an item. Leanna was already kneeling down before the others even registered there had been something inside. She scooted in, and extended her hand once she grabbed the sparkling timepiece. Noct handed it over to Ignis, then went to help her out again. Only, when he reached for her hand this time, it suddenly retracted. A startled noise echoed from within, the sounds of frantic scufflings, then silence.

"Leanna!" they shouted.

* * *

_Good job guys. Promise her dad she won't get into any trouble and what's the first thing that happens? She gets into trouble. Being dragged through a labyrinth of goblin tunnels. Ya'll are doing a great job. Someone[gifset the expression](http://heartonpins.tumblr.com/post/143322155043) Noct makes when he's in the cave, but I sort of imagined what his expression would be in that instant before the chapter 'ends' . However what happened before that would be a new gaming mechanic she can do. Sometimes there'll be places the guys can't reach or fit where as Leanna can. Such as under things, and sometimes even things above them. So she can be requested to fetch things. Although they shouldn't end with her getting into trouble._

_I actually wasn't aware there were actual little rocky wedges in the game until way after I wrote this chapter and was watching a demo. Lo and behold, there was a goblin tunnel opening the way I had imagined so I was like !._

_It makes me happy that so many people are reading my sorry. Makes me feel like my cinnamon roll fits into the world I felt like I was shoe-horning her into. I'm trying really hard to not make anything seem forced and unnatural, although it is a demo so I felt I should get as much in as I can for people to see how the cinnamon bun would work._

_I also realized, if anyone wants a better idea of what Leanna looks like, look up Final Fantasy XV Stella and find the last design they had for her before they scrapped her character. The super close up head shot looking at the 'camera' where her hair isn't like flipped outwards like how she was first shown in her debut trailer but her hair is 'round'. To be perfectly honest, she looks exactly like Leanna. No not the other way around. I had one design for Leanna with the same hair color, same eyes, same hair part, done way before Stella was even announced. So when I saw this during one of the new trailers I was just ?! iamnotunique. So I decided to snatch that for Leanna's FC._

_Also to do a lil shameless self promotion, since doesn't allow like... hyperlinks to things, I got two things for ya. On DA - superxlilxcutie, I got a whole folder of images with her if you wanted to see more. And on tumblr - edenslostwallflower, it's her rp blog if anyone ever wanted to ask questions or interact and stuff w. woo-hoo~!_


	6. Chapter 6

The empty darkness was lit only by their shaking flashlight beams. Their footsteps echoed loudly against the cold stone as they followed the tunnel. They needed to find where that tunnel would exit and quick. Their breaths came out in puffs of fog add they finally had to slow down before they exhausted themselves.

They were doubled over, trying to catch their breath at the opening of another cavern, or perhaps just a wider part of the tunnel, it was impossible to get a full look at the area.

While the others tried to get their bearings, Prompto had been looking ahead of them into the darkness beyond their flashlights.

"Uh guys?"

"Yeah?"

"I think.. something's watching us…"

They looked ahead to where he was fixated. Noct had to peer into the blackness for a couple seconds. There, against the dark, glinted two red eyes. They moved, turning, then faced back at them. The four of them became immediately alert, standing straight and ready to draw their weapons at the first sign of trouble. The eyes blinked, there were sounds of shuffling, then another pair appeared. Noct moved forward to shine the flashlight on whatever it was that was blocking their path. Short, hobbled looking creatures with sharp features and an ugly, twisted face topped with a red hat. Horrible little creatures to look at, admittedly not a fault if their own choosing, or perhaps it was.

Chaos followed in the cramped space of the tunnel with lights, sounds, and bodies moving. The goblins, as they were rightly called, were small but many in number, and far too agile for the comfort of their small battle ground. They had sharp, thin nails that clung to their clothes and scratched their skin. After minutes of fighting, the last goblin finally fell and the eerie silence of the tunnel returned. They must have been heard for miles into the tunnel system. Any other goblins would have most likely been alerted.

"Hey, I think I lost a potion. " said Prompto.

"That's your fault." said Gladio.

"No, I mean I am one hundred percent sure I had it when we came in here. "

"Then we clearly have thieves on our hands. " muttered Ignis.

"I now understand why the locals wanted this place closed. " said Prompto.

They had to duck to get through a low passage way and continue their journey deeper into the cold, damp, stone maze. The further they went, the colder it became. They were on edge now, jumping at the smallest sound of movement, even if it was just themselves making it. Fighting in such close quarters was far less than desirable, and wanted to be avoided as much as possible.

Tunnel after tunnel, left turns and right. They were lost within a maze, or perhaps more cruelly, a very linear tunnel while being constantly turned around.

"Admit it, we're lost." Prompto concluded at their fourth dead end.

Noct had been creeping closer to the dark pit that marked this dead end. He expected water below, but no, he saw stone in the light of his torch. Stone and a huddled pack of goblins. They're only choice was to hop down.

"I don't wanna go anywhere near 'em." he muttered as the others looked down for themselves.

"Let's just get through this." said Gladio. "The more we take down, the less we'll have to fight on the way back."

Noct dropped down onto the little devils and opened with a barrage of swings to clear them out. Persistent little demons, even more so, they were just annoying. They're crows and cackles made their skin crawl. The silence after the battle was a blessing by itself.

They continued down the weaving corridor, finding themselves at another impasse of stone with a crevice just wide enough to squeeze through. Not far into the other side of the tunnel, they felt the temperature change just slightly towards being less miserably cold. There must be a gap of sunlight up ahead. They turned down the straightest section of tunnel they'd seen thus far and jogged down.

"Slow down a sec." said Prompto as a rising sounds of screeches and howls began to fill the silence of the corridor. It echoed of the walls and rattled around their heads disorienting them. Prompto covered his ears to block out what he could and stumbled backwards until he connected with a waste high pile of rubble. Tiny fingers slipped under and around his arms, grabbing at his clothes and skin. His scream of shock was cut off as both he and his flashlight beam were suddenly hauled back into the darkness beyond the rocks.

"Prompto!"

They exchanged looks of hastened concern. They were being picked off one by one, a nightmarish thought. The three of them booked it down the remaining corridor until it opened up to the largest cavern they came across. Stalagmites and stalactites jutted from the ceiling and floor like jagged teeth. Pockets of light lit up what their small flashlights couldn't. Far down, just below their cliff, they could see a blue orb of light running across the floor followed by hobbling little shadows. Prompto's voice echoed up.

"That's it! I quit! What the hell are we doing here?!"

The others found a path through the jutting spikes of rock and stone into the cavern to reach him before he was overcome by goblins. He was reached in time but they still saw no sign of their other person.

"Lee! Hey are you in here?" asked Gladio.

Over the shrieks of the goblins, they heard a familiar voice.

"I'm here! My flashlight broke. I can't see any-" a goblin shriek cut off her reply, in a manner that suggested she was also the target of their attacks.

Noct lanced through two goblins in one hit. "Can you make your way over here?"

In a voice that lacked any confidence she replied, "I'll try!"

Prompto was the closest, given they had both been dragged to the same location. A goblin leapt at him, it's tiny fingers digging into the back of his vest in an unwanted piggyback ride.

"Not cool, not cool, not cool!" he shouted, trying to pull him off. Footsteps rushed towards him.

"Prompto, duck!" Leanna shouted. He heeded her warning and bent his head down as far as he could comfortably reach considering his problem. There was a solid connecting sound above his head and he felt the tiny claws tear away from his vest. He cautiously looked up to see Leanna holding a length of stalagmite, still raised in the air, like a batter that just struck a winning hit. The goblin was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow, you're awesome." he breathed. Leanna looked as if she only just realized what she'd done and looked to the stone bat, then looked to Prompto. Scampering goblins had begun to close in on them from one direction.

"Thank you for the compliment. Let's go!"

The two wove in and around groups of goblins. It was better to fight in a group against the swarm. If they hadn't been knicked, potions were being used left and right as the little buggers had a strong hit. Noct lucked out with having a health draining ability to save potions for his comrades, who weren't doing so well.

They picked at their legs and clothes, leaving scratches in their wake, whittling away at their health bit by bit. One leapt onto Leanna's field of vision and was met with a loud pop of electricity to the face, sending it flying back with a trail of smoke. There seemed to be no end to them. They were leaking in through the cracks and gaps of the cave by the dozen.

Prompto was doubled over, trying to move away from the battlefield. "Is it me or… is it getting harder to see?" he asked between breaths. The others were practically walled off by goblins and were too distracted to notice Prompto's dire emergency.

Leanna picked her way through the sparse crowd of goblins, with a new momentary directive of getting aid to their party member. The creatures were making the task a little more difficult than necessary. One hobbled in her pathway and was met with a secretarial uniform boot to the face. When she joined Prompto, a nasty little thing snagged the back of her dress and pulled her down. It to was introduced to the sole of her shoe. Prompto helped her to her feet at the same time she dissipated a potion against his arm.

The battle felt like it went on for hours. Goblin after goblin, potion after potion, hit after hit. The silence that followed was numbingly quiet. They stood in the large vacant cavern panting and doubled over. Prompto was sitting on the floor. Leanna was trying to fix her disheveled appearance but it did little good. As far as the others looked, appearances were hardly a concern.

Noct placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She looked up at him in surprise and stood straight. He got the impression her perfect assistant image was not to par and was… embarrassed. She pat the dust away from her hem. A glint of light seemed to sparkle in her eyes before her expression lightened and she smiled. "Everything's in working order, sir."

The others exchanged worrisome looks. She was rather emotionally balanced for someone who had just been dragged through a tunnel system by goblins. It was difficult to tell if she was being honest, or lying for their comfort, if she was even possible of doing so.

A thought struck her and she looked to the others. "Our stock of potions has been depleted. Will you be alright?"

They were confident that after the battle they had, there would be few goblins left to cause them trouble. They began their walk back up through the cavern when they noticed a different pathway leading into yet another tunnel. Still not having found what they were hoping to, the group walked on.

A green hue covered the small cavern they stepped into, only it wasn't light, it was moss. A thin beam of light lit up one end, allowing plants to take hold around a small, shallow body of water, to small to be a pond but too large to be a puddle. Towards the back at the center of the room was what looked to be a pale tree, lacking leaves, yet looking alive all the same.

Noct approached the shard, understanding little of what he was looking at but he felt drawn to it. He touched his uncovered hand to the front. It glowed green upon contact, and the room filled with a strange sensation of buzzing, electrified air. A tremendous flash of red lightning followed by thunder shook the room. The others had to brace themselves, however Noct didn't seem at all injured. Lightning crackled and arced around as if the shared were emitting it alone, then began to die down. Noct pulled his hand away as it faded completely.

He looked at his injured hand while the others looked at him. They couldn't mistake the fact that his eyes, only for a second, were red.

No one else spoke, until Prompto was unable to bear the quiet a moment more. "What the hell was that and are you okay?"

Noct looked neither confused nor shocked at the situation. "I'm fine. Let's get going." And without another word, he was the first to leave the cavern.

Prompto looked on is disbelief. "That's it? You just summoned lightning into a tree in a cave and you're just gonna say 'let's get going'?" He wasn't graced with an answer. The others shrugged it off and followed their Prince. Leanna was the last to exit the cave. A small pop sounded from somewhere below her. She looked down and noticed a small fizzle of light around her fingertips, red, like the lightning that had just struck the room. She shook her hand.

"Lee?" asked Prompto. "Hurry up, wouldn't want you to get lost…" he gave a nervous laugh and Leanna quickly followed.

It felt like days since they'd entered the tunnel and last seen the sun, but by the sunlight outside, they were sure only a few hours had passed. The sun was starting to set, giving Duscae the familiar dusty orange glow in the horizon. Now in proper lighting, they could see just how disheveled they all looked. Scuffed up from their heads to their boots.

"Please tell me we didn't just waste our time to see a light show." said Prompto.

"I think we can take on Deadeye now." was Noct's way of answering as he already started walking.

"Not so fast, Highness. We're all a little worse for wear. Even you can see that we need our rest, if we are to have a go at him again. "

"I don't think anyone's gonna be going after him any time soon." said Gladio, checking three long gashes on his left arm. "Besides, it'll be night by the time we get there. I don't wanna fight a behemoth in the dark."

Noct was looking down at his hand, flexing his fingers. He muttered an agreement and the party set of to the nearest camp.

Prompto took a deep breath and raised his arms. "Smell that fresh air - makes you feel alive!"

"Why is everything such a big deal with you?" groaned Gladio.

"Let him have his fun while he's alive to enjoy it." replied Ignis cattily.

"I don't need air but I'm inclined to agree…" said Leanna. Prompto looked at her appreciatively as they walked on.

Dusk had settled over Duscae by the time camp had been set up. The orange glow of the fire illuminated their dark surroundings. Ignis stood at the cooking station, heavily regarding the ingredients from their inventory.

"Leanna, could you give me a hand?" he asked. She promptly stood up from the camp chair she had been occupying and joined him. She had been able to set her appearance straight and looked just as she did before. "These are all of the ingredients we currently have but finding a meal plan is proving difficult."

Leanna looked over everything before pulling out her tablet and tapping in the information. Against the teal-grey background a semi-transparent window opened with words and pictures.

"With what's available, you'll be able to make a recipe with three of these ingredients. Two more are needed to create three others but they can either be substituted or left out entirely. However, the full effect of the dish won't be achieved."

Ignis settled on one of the simpler dishes, nothing extravagant, but a suitable meal to end their busy day. With her task finished, Leanna returned to the camp fire but remained standing. She regarded the others quietly. With their supply of potions having been stolen by tiny, greedy hands, the boys were left a little scuffed up and would remain so until morning when they could refresh their stock. A strange aura had settled over the camp that was far more tense than any other night. Prompto and Gladio spoke idly from the chairs while Noct seemed distant, sitting at the edge of the stone mesa overlooking the dark Duscae scenery. The headlights of cars passed by on the distance, the far away glow of the Coernix Garage lights, and even further to the left the small glow of the distant city Lestellum.

Leanna thought a moment before she turned and walked to the pile of supplies they had and began looking for something. Once found, she returned to the two at the camp fire. She was not one to interrupt conversation and waited quietly, holding a white box in her hands.

Gladio had been sitting forward in his chair with his elbows rested above his knees, but sat up straight when he noticed they had been joined by a third.

"May I?" she asked holding up the first aid kit. For a second, he thought to dismiss any care, only because to him, wounds weren't much of a problem. He was fine letting the gashes on his arm scab over until they got their hands on a potion. He looked down at his arm, then offered it.

"Yeah, go ahead."

Leanna knelt down and opened the box. She pulled out the necessary items to clean and cover a wound and set on the task of carefully cleaning his arm.

"This might sting a little... "

"I think I can handle it. "

She worked with quick hands to clean and disinfect. As she worked, Gladio couldn't help but give her glances.

"So.. you really are a… " his question dropped off. It wasn't exactly an easy question to ask, even more so without sounding offensive. "Ah- never mind."

Leanna looked up at him only for a second before setting down the antiseptic. "As the saying goes 'seeing is believing'. " She used a hand to pull her hair over her shoulder to expose the back. Using her index finger, she pressed down on a spot near what would have been her spine. A small panel slid open, revealing a small rectangle like section with various port receivers. Prompto was leaning over in his chair to get a look and mouthed an audible sound. The panel closed and her neck looked seamless once more as she replaced her hair.

Gladio looked both impressed and disbelieving. "Coulda fooled me. You, uh, no offense but, you don't look like you're… y'know. "

"Like I'm made of the same components as a computer?" she finished rather bluntly. She began applying a salve to the open wounds. "That is the whole point. We are machines built to look, behave, and speak just like humans. It would be a little jarring if we looked like Magitek armor. "

"Yeah, that would be terrifying." said Prompto.

She slowly wrapped the gauze around Gladio's arm, becoming distracted. "I had been…worried that if any of you found out, I would be removed from your company. "

"Like we'd do that." said Prompto. "You're the most fun this group's had in a while, besides me. You've seen how they react to everything."

Gladio gave him a stern glare but otherwise didn't move. Aside from the arm injury, he had a few other scratches that were dabbed with the cotton ball.

"You're done. Thank you." Leanna collected everything into the box and once she was on her feet, she bowed her head.

Prompto had been amused that Gladio let himself be treated when he was more of the 'sulk and lick his own wounds' sort of guy. But his smile fell slightly when Leanna had moved over to him and asked politely.

"May I?"

"Uh…"

Prompto was much for fidgety than Gladio, not being one to tolerate pain as well as he could. He sported some nasty road burn from being dragged around the cavern tunnel. He winced each time the cotton ball touched his skin, even with trying to force himself to hold still.

"Ow, ow, ow. " he grimaced. The alcohol smelling cotton ball was uncomfortably close to his eye, causing it to water slightly. Gladio was so close to laughing, he could hear his stifled chuckles. He resolved to not move to prove how he could handle pain. This only lasted until Leanna replaced the cotton ball on another bit of burn.

By then, Ignis had finished prepping their meal and preoccupied Gladio with a plate. Prompto would be allowed his serving after he was done being patched up, which took longer than necessary with his wincing away. Even Ignis allowed himself to be cared for, as he too only had a few minor scratches, and fussed not even an inch when Leanna cleaned them up. His clothing provided more protection, leaving his arms unscathed. He was done in under a minute, which he quietly boasted to Prompto as the latter huffed into his plate.

The only one who wasn't eating was Noct, who remained at the edge of the camp lost in thought. Leanna gently approached, remaining quiet as she stood behind beside him. Similar to how she did with his father, at his side but never bringing attention to herself. It took a minute or so before Noct noticed she was there.

"I'm okay." he muttered when he saw the first aid kit in her hands. She didn't say anything. She only stood quietly, but her eyes looked down to the long gash that stretched from above his arm shield to his elbow. Noct looked at it as well, with an expression that suggested he only now just noticed it. He resigned in a quiet sigh, looking away but moving his arm slightly. If it wasn't speaking, his gestures often have enough clue to what he was trying to say.

Leanna sat down at his side, carefully dabbing away the dried blood and dirt. Her voice was so quiet, spoken so gently, he might not have heard it had he been drifting in thought again.

"Does it sting? "

He huffed slightly. "I can handle a scratch." The cotton ball was pressed down on the gash, only with enough pressure to clean and not injure. He hadn't realized his shying away from the cold medicine was what prompted her question, and in response she lightened her touch. They remained quiet, with little tension to break the silence until Noct spoke again.

"Sorry… about before."

"In the cave?"

"It was a dumb thing to not expect nothing like that would happen. Shoulda figured those were… goblin tunnels…"

"There is nothing to feel sorry for. If I suspected my life would be in danger, I still would have done it. "

"Why?"

Leanna returned her attention to the Prince's wound. "I'm a machine. When broken, I can be fixed again. A human… cannot easily be repaired in some cases. "

Noct thought over on that comment. A machine could be fixed, that's what they had seen for themselves that very morning. But fixed up again, and remaining the same as before, it felt like the two could easily fall out of balance. A favorite toy of his had been broken as a child, and even after fixing it to the best of his ability, it never quite moved the same after.

"Still, putting you in danger is… it's unnecessary. You shouldn't have to do anything like that. "

"That is exactly what my programming tells me to do. I must keep myself functioning and of use to others. I went against that very directive the night you were escaping the city. If I was lost in the process, it was to give you a second chance to escape. "

He felt the weight of those words. Someone he had all together thought little of for years had been ready to risk life and limb to keep him safe. How ungrateful he felt now.

"It feels like you're the last connection I have… to him. I don't… I can't lose that. "

Leanna was wrapping a gauze around his salved arm. "If that's how I am of use to you, sir. Then I will try my best to survive for that purpose. "

"No I- I didn't mean it that way. " he let out a breath. " I honestly have no idea what I'm trying to say. "

"I also enjoy being service to you as a friend, if you'll have me. " Leanna offered.

A smile betrayed the feeling of guilt Noct was feeling. He realized she had finished with his arm and looked it over.

"Thanks." was all he could manage to say. One word with many annotations. Leanna returned all the items back into the kit and stood up. She bowed her head and stepped away to return the kit to the supply box.

Noct was left with only his thoughts for company, flexing the hand that touched the piece is astral shard as he looked out into the darkness of Duscae.

* * *

Okay so, like I said before, I had gotten my hands on the demo so I was finally playing this for myself. So I knew what to expect in the Cavern which were goblins... Well guess who screamed like a terrified little child when they first pop up when you go in. Not once, but three times. They just shoot up outta the dark and I was just SCREAMS LIKE DEAN FROM SUPERNATURAL WHEN HE WAS CURSED TO BE SCARED OF EVERYTHING. It's a gif, google screaming dean that was me. But I thought, it would be creepier if it was a quiet sort of introduction. There's few things creepier than looking into the darkness and seeing something looking back. So they're eyes do glint red when you see them in the cave and it's kinda unnerving.

 **Trivia:**  
If the player runs to the area Leanna 'spawns' in the large cavern, there are about five or six goblins lying incapacitated on the ground. She is a damsel, she is in distress, but lord almighty can she hit hard.

On her way down through the tunnel system she had grabbed onto a stalagmite to stop her being pulled but it ended up breaking. That's how she got a hold of a stone baseball bat.

This isn't the first time I've envisioned Leanna basically knocking monsters into oblivion. In another story she uses a frying pan like a tennis racket.

Now that Lee is a fighting part of the party, she'll sometimes be heard apologizing to the things she's fighting. A robot with a guilty conscience. Who'da guessed.

In case people are still wondering what the heck happened back in the city. I know the new guy changed the story line so they had already escaped the city before the invasion, but I kinda liked the idea of escaping the city while it's being taken over. So my story, in a sense, starts off with that. Only it's a flashback that Leanna was mostly blacked out from. While the team was escaping, they reached a check point that leads out of the city. As soon as they cleared that they'd be out of harms way, only that the enemy knew this was an exit so they had an ambush waiting for them. It's one of those battles where you're just fighting an onslaught of guys until the cutscene kicks in.  
A pair of them had some super high voltage stun guns that were going to be used to electrocute the Prince, but at the last second the assistant pushed him out of the way. It's a moment of like real surprise, because until then she'd always been a silent observer. She was only ever seen with the King, hardly spoke to others, hardly seemed to even care about other things and yet she pushes Noct out of harms way and as a result gets hit with enough volts to kill a person. However, she doesn't die, and now they know why. Previously, this was a scene that would happen later on in the story that would be the real 'reveal' that she's a robot. From the moment the stun guns connect, the scene would kinda slow down and become shell shocked, like the audio is muffled, and the camera would zoom in on her eyes and one of the glass lenses would break. And she falls to the ground like a lifeless doll, perhaps still shaking.  
They couldn't just leave her there surrounded by enemies so that's how they end up taking Leanna with them. I was listening to.. Two Women from Legend of the Seeker while I imagined that scene.

I'd love to hear from you guys if you're still enjoying this. And how I'm doing. If anyone wants to send any love Leanna's way her tumblr is edenslostwallflower. Have at it.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning air around them had a buzzing sense of excitement. They finally had a promising method to defeat the behemoth and get their car back, good as new. Or so they hoped. Noct had yet to enlighten them on what exactly had occurred in the Fociaugh Cavern. He was the last to wake up, as allowing him to wake up naturally would offer a more refreshed and useful Prince. What he lost in energy could be gained in the simple concentration of rest he could aquire.

While waiting for their slumbering leader to wake, Ignis and Leanna had already gone and returned from the trading post with a full stock of supplies. Ignis occupied himself setting their inventory in order while the other three were in the shrubbery, forested clearing beneath the camp. Sounds from within the tent gave indication that Noct had finally awoken, and be slowly stepped out of the tent. The sounds of wood hitting wood probably what had woken him and caught his attention. He looked over the edge of the campsite to find the source.

"They're teaching her some lessons in combat, if that explains why they're waving around sticks any better. " said Ignis from his seat near the supply box.

Prompto stood opposite Leanna, both of whom were holding long sticks while Gladio observed the pair from a rock he sat on. It wasn't so much a training lesson as it was a source of entertainment for him. Prompto's swings were slow and predictable from about a mile away, giving Leanna ample time to stop it's trajectory. She wasn't learning how to fight or defend herself, rather that she was indeed capable of moving a stick around.

"You're too focused on not getting hit that you're not taking a swing back at him." said Gladio. "Defend all you want but it won't help much if the enemy is still mobile."

Leanna let the stick lean against the crook of her neck as she looked over to him. "I'm trying as best I can but I'm not originally intended to be someone who fights. That's a different department. "

Prompto took the opening and gently bopped her on the side of the head, which brought her attention back to him. "What? Some sorta robot law? 'Thou shall not hurt a human?' "

Leanna leaned her head away. "No just moral law. Under normal circumstances, people don't like being hit. " Either to contradict her point, or to prove it, she swung her makeshift weapon down and had it connect solidly against the side of Prompto's knee. The boy let out a mock cry of pain and buckled, falling to the floor in an exaggerated manner so convincing to Leanna that she dropped her stick in response, believing she'd actually caused him pain.

After a few seconds of his agonized groaning, he spoke in a strained voice. "Ah! She got me! Man down! Go on… without me… " His voice lowered to a whisper as he all together went limp on the grassy floor.

Gladio was gave hearty laugh that trailed into a groan. "Drama Queen."

Leanna picked up her stick again when she realized he was only joking. Prompto was lying on his back with a perfect view of the sky and canopy, as well as a judgmental glare from up above.

"Morning, buddy!" he called up to Noct who had been watching the whole spectacle. He stepped away from the ledge and joined them a few seconds later.

Prompto was back in his feet, dusting himself of with Leanna's help to remove clinging bits of leaf and twig. "Just giving her some fighting tips."

"Figured it was worth a shot, " Gladio chimed in. "She has a pretty mean swing. Showed those goblins a thing or two yesterday. "

"And you're letting the guy that uses guns do the teaching? " asked Noct.

"I had a feeling she wouldn't be using a greatsword any time soon so I wouldn't do any good. "

Noct held out his hand to Prompto, who handed over his stick. He wasn't dejected for long as he quickly found a replacement. Noct looked to Leanna, who'd been holding the stick like one would a broom.

"So, do you wanna learn how to fight?"

She looked as unsure as he'd ever seen her. Definitely something out of her comfort zone, yet she didn't say no.

The next half our was spent teaching some basic fighting techniques using a stick in place of a sword. Something possibly lost on Leanna as, as she said, she was not from the department that made fighting bots.

"If you lot are done playing make believe, we do have a behemoth horn to fetch. " said Ignis's voice from above them.

Camp was broken down and stored away, and the group, refreshed with potions, set of towards Deadeye's lair.

"Hey, maybe I could teach you how to fire pistols. It'd be much easier than swinging a sword around. "

"We don't need two people shooting at enemies. " said Gladio. "One with shoddy aim is enough."

The trek between the camp and Deadeye's lair was a short one, once they reached the other camp, they recognized where's they were fairly easily. Only a single pack of Sabers impeded their path for a few moments. Halfway to their destination, Prompto stretched and yawned.

"Ah, I just couldn't fall asleep last night, but then but then I had the weirdest dream."

"Never knew you to be a dreamer." replied Noct.

"Yeah, I always wake up and forget everything though. "

"What I wouldn't give for that."

"You are a pretty deep sleeper, like under the ground deep. You sure you don't just die for a few hours every night? "

The group returned to that shared thought of silence as they were lead to a small path flanked by boulders. The same hole they escaped from days before lay at the end of it.

"Are we absolutely ready?" asked Ignis. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace - should our plan go awry."

They looked to one another and nodded in agreement. They were ready.

One by one they moved through the hole and reached the other side. It didn't take long before the ground began to tremble. The purple, muscled mass of the behemoth rounded the cement wall on the other side and came barreling down on them.

"Any idea how to take him on?" Prompto asked, perhaps a little too late.

"Carefully, " replied Ignis. "one mistake could be our last."

The beast bounded in their direction, snarling and roaring with the supposed clear memory of their assault on him last time. The party split to attack different areas and to be less likely to be struck by a massive paw or swipe of his tail. They ducked, rolled, struck him when they could. Luckily, they had potions on hand to keep them from having an early visit with Etro.

The beast was between them and the Prince for most of the battle, making a quick rescue difficult. Deadeye hardly let up enough time to allow them to use a potion here and there. One hard hit with his paw sent Noct tumbling to the ground. He struggled to regain his footing to move out of harm's way.

Things were taking a turn for the worse.

The sunlight disappeared behind a gray clouds suddenly rolling in. The sky had given no indication of a storm. The air began charged, almost buzzing as lightning bolted across the sky in rapid succession. A storm was suddenly forming around them, becoming intense within seconds. Bracing themselves against the change in weather, Ignis, Prompto, and Leanna took shelter behind the cement wall of the old factory. And with good reason.

What they could see around the cement structure was a sight almost too surreal to behold. They could see a figure that dwarfed even the behemoth. Deadeye was a flea compared to the god Ramuh. Giant bolts of lightning arced across the sky and around his staff with thunderous booms as he took aim down below. What followed was an attack so loud, so devastating in force, that the three of them were sure that not only they, but every animal in the vicinity had been anaihilated. The rumble was deafening, the ground shook, it felt like the world was being broken into splinters. The surroundings that were once Deadeye's lair were charred and black, still searing red with embers as the cacophony of sound faded.

In the quiet that followed, the three of them crept out from behind their hiding spot. Gladio was the first to speak warily. "Everyone…. Everyone okay?"

To their great surprise, Noct was standing at ground zero, completely unharmed, and looking unaffected by what just happened. The same couldn't be said for Deadeye. His charred mass lay in a heap on the ground not far off. The fact his body survived intact against that attack was in itself a shock. Ashes from its body were picked away in the wind.

"Did.. did that really just happen?" asked Prompto. "I'm not dreaming right. That really was…"

There was a moment of quiet as they waited for Noct to grace them with some information. "Back in the cave," he looked down at his hand, "there must have been something in that stone, that piece of astral shard. I could feel it. Fighting Deadeye, it just sort of came out and- "

"And you summoned a God himself out of heaven. " Gladio folded his arms looking impressed. "No big deal, right?" They were quiet a long moment, fully processing what they just witnessed before Gladio spoke again. "Yeah, uh, we'd better get back to Cindy."

The shock of the scenario slowly transitioned into euphoria. They had survived, for one, they had experienced a godlike phenomena, and now they had the bounty to see their car safely returned. Looked like their day was going as planned, more or less.

"This is it! The ticket to getting our car back! " Prompto cheered, then reached for something in his vest pocket. "Hang on, I gotta get a photo of the behemoth otherwise no one's gonna believe this. "

"Before we might reclaim our car, we need to claim the small fortune this behemoth horn should fetch. "

The excitement slowly faded back to something normal as they walked back across the Duscae wilderness to the station. Previously hostile scenery didn't seem as threatening now. Compared to a behemoth, Sabertusks were only a minor nuisance. Needing to fight the wildlife was stunted now that they had their means of payment. Five gil claws were pocket change. Any sabers that chased them simply list interest when they moved far enough away.

They approached the familiar sight of the station, stepping into the oil and gas strained concrete. Noct was the only one to enter the shop itself, the others waited outside with Cindy.

Noct placed the large horn of the beast on the counter. This warranted the attention from not only from the clerk but by other customers in the store.

"Did you… did you really kill him?" he asked.

"If he's not dead, he's wishing he was right about now. " replied Noct.

"Wow," the clerk marveled as he picked up the horn and looked it over. "Didn't think anyone would be able to take him down. Been plaguing these parts for months. " He searched under the counter for something, still talking. "I'm gonna have to take this to a friend and see if we can get this mounted on the wall for everyone to see."

He stood up and set a green security box on the counter. He opened it with a key and withdrew a stack of bills. "Twenty five thousand gil, all yours." He handed it to Noct and thanked him on behalf of all the locals.

Cindy had moved the car to the open lot where it was ready to go. When Noct joined them she turned around from her last second check up.

"Hey! Y'all about ready to saddle up?"

"As ready as we'll ever be. " said Noct.

"Didn't mean to keep you waiting." Prompto's tone was oddly bashful.

"Oh, don't ya worry about that one bit now."

"We have what was in the estimate." Ignis looked to Noct who handed Cindy the gil.

"Yep! That oughta cover it. So, I reckon it's about time we got ya back together with your girl. " She placed her gloved hands on the pristinely polished hood of the car. She seemed to admire the car more than the two party members were admiring her. "Well here she is! Come see for yourself. She's primed prim and proper. " she reached into the driver seat for the work clipboard. "I reckon ya won't find a loose nut or bolt on 'er."

"We're in your debt. " said Ignis.

"I'll say ya are! I souped her up a _bunch_ for ya! " she ran a hand down all her work handiwork. "I should charge ya… but I ain't gonna. This one's on the house."

"That's, uh, awfully nice of you. " said a still bashful Prompto.

"Just make sure y'all come back to Hammerhead now, ya hear?"

"Count on it." said Gladio, folding his arms. "No where else we'd take it."

"Don't you forget it!" Cindy turned to the only other female of their group, as if entirely forgetting the others were there for a moment. "And how you been, sweet pea? I heard you were a little under the weather the other day. "

Leanna looked a little surprised that someone, still a stranger, was asking after her well-being. She looked appreciative and gave a small smile and nod. "I'm doing much better now ma'am."

"I was worried all this time with the thought of you it there in the wilderness with these guys but I see they're treating you just fine. They woulda had me to answer to if there were any problems. "

"Hey, we're not that bad are we?" retorted Noct.

"You can never be too sure, hon." Cindy said in mock suspicion. "Well what are y'all waitin' for? Hop in! "

They walked to their preferred seat, Ignis taking driver, Gladio taking passenger, and the other three to the back. Prompto opened the door and stood to the side with a flourished hand to allow the their lady company entry, but she hesitated.

"Maybe waiting until Lestellum is asking a bit much. I can call someone to come pick me up. You can go straight ahead to Altissa. "

"Lestellum is on the way, is it not? Taking you there won't be a problem." said Ignis with a shrug of his palm on the steering wheel.

"Besides," said Prompto, "leaving you at a gas station doesn't seem like a gentlemanly thing to do."

"You have family in the city, right?" asked Noct. "It'll be quicker just to drive there instead of waiting."

Leanna didn't look any less guilty but resigned and stepped into the back seat. She took the space between Noct and Prompto, the three sitting comfortably.

Ignis turned the ignition and the car started with a satisfying, smooth rumble of the engine.

"It's alive!" said Prompto.

"Just let us know if you need anything." said Cindy as she stood at Prompto's door.

"It won't be about repairs next time," said Gladio with a grin from his seat.

"Well, that's fine by me. We can tune her up however you like at the garage. All ya gotta do is just bring her on in. "

"So it's alright if we call you?" piped Prompto.

"Sure is! Paw-Paw would love having someone to talk to." She stunted Prompto's hopeful attempt at flirtatious conversation and the boy rested his head against the door in defeat.

"We'll bring something by when we visit," said Ignis. "for Cid of course."

"Yeah," agreed Noct. "Time to hit the road. Thanks again, Cindy."

"Y'all take care out there! " Cindy waved as she stepped away from the car. "And Lee Ann, you be sure to tell me if those boys start rough housing too much. I'll fix em for ya!"

The car slowly pulled out of the lot and onto the road. They were on their way.


End file.
